Congress picked up five new minority members in the November elections, including two that cannot vote.
Ohio elected Black and Filipino American members of Congress and New Mexico chose its first Hispanic member since 1997.
In a bittersweet victory, Democrat Marcia Fudge became Congress’ newest Black member, as she replaced the late Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-Ohio, who died after suffering a brain aneurysm in August. Fudge, 55, is a lawyer and mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio who served as Jones’ chief of staff in 1999 when she first came to Capitol Hill.
Fudge was elected to both a new term on Nov. 4 and then — unopposed — on Nov. 18 to fill out the last few months of Jones’ current term. She is one of 42 members of the Congressional Black Caucus — two of whom are non-voting delegates from Washington, D.C., and the Virgin Islands. The caucus is down one member with Illinois Sen. Barack Obama’s resignation after winning the presidential election. That leaves no Black members in the Senate.
“I don’t know I could say it should be (held again by a Black member), but I hope it would be,” says Fudge of Obama’s vacant Senate seat, which will be filled by a gubernatorial appointment. At least two members of the Congressional Caucus — Illinois Democratic Reps. Jessie Jackson Jr. and Danny Davis — are reportedly interested in the post.
“At every level, we have to have some diversity and, certainly, as he was the only African-American member of the Senate, I would hope we would have another,” Fudge adds. “I’m one of 55 new members, and the only African-American in the class.”
