The new Congress convening Tuesday will still consist mostly of white men, but women and minorities will nevertheless comprise a historic share of the overall body.
A record 104 women will serve in the new Congress, compared to 100 previously, the Associated Press reported Saturday. Of those, 84 will be members of the House — including Elise Stefanik, a newly elected New York Republican, who is the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.
Another new member of the House, Mia Love of Utah, holds the distinction of being the first Republican African-American woman elected to Congress.
Meanwhile, there will be 94 lawmakers who are racial minorities, the Associated Press reported, including at least one African-American lawmaker of each gender and party in each chamber — another first.
Altogether, the House will count 44 African-Americans among its ranks, while the Senate will include two black senators. Hispanic lawmakers will comprise the next-largest minority group in Congress, with 34 members in the House and three senators.
