On Election Day, California made history electing the first new U.S senator in 24 years and the first Black politician in history to represent the state. Kamala Harris is the second Black woman elected to the U.S. senate.

Harris formerly served as California’s first Black Attorney General and was also the first Black woman to serve as a state attorney general. Harris served over five years as California’s attorney general, from 2011 to 2016.

While twenty African-American women currently serve in the House of Representatives, there hasn’t been a black female senator since Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois served one term from 1993 to 1999. Harris joins two Black males in the 100-member Senate: Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) and Cory Booker (D-New Jersey).

Harris entered the Senate race after Democrat Barbara Boxer announced her intention to retire. The Democrat became an early front-runner in a crowded primary field.

The Associated Press called the race minutes after the polls closed, with no votes yet reported. Early returns with less than half the vote counted showed Harris winning by more than 1.3 million votes against Representative Loretta Sanchez. Harris defeated Sanchez by a 63 percent margin.

Criminal justice and immigration reform, creating good-paying jobs, enacting family leave and equal pay policies are Harris’s major platforms. College affordability and tackling climate change are important platforms of Harris’s as well.

Harris was raised in Berkeley, California and born to a mother who was a scientist and father who was an economics professor at Stanford University. As an undergraduate student at Howard University, Harris was a double major in Political Science and Economics while serving on the debate team.

“We grew up always being told that you have a responsibility to serve,” Harris said in an interview with NBC. She went on to say, “My first run for office was at Howard University, where I was elected freshman class representative of the liberal arts student council. Running a campaign at Howard was tough! I remember walking up to strangers,” she recalled “asking them to vote for me.” From there, Harris earned her Juris Doctorate at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.