America just elected its first Latina senator

Catherine Cortez Masto.
(Image credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

On the same night Donald Trump won the presidency, America also elected its first-ever Latina senator. Former Nevada attorney general Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat, will fill the seat of Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), the retiring Democratic minority leader. Cortez Masto defeated Rep. Joe Heck (R-Nev.) in a tight race.

She declared her win a victory for diversity in a tweet early Wednesday:

Cortez Masto, who is of Mexican descent, will be the fourth Latino to serve in the Senate, joining Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Sen. Bob Menendez (R-N.J.).

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