Election Day is fast approaching, and the entire country (and the world) will be tuning in to determine its outcome. Although there will be many winners and losers in the end, there are some candidates who could make Black history Tuesday night. Here are the races theGrio follows:

Kamala Harris

The most followed race will undoubtedly be the presidential one between Kamala Harris And Donald Trump. Even though Harris has intentionally not made the historical component of her candidacy a focal point of her presidential campaign, it is not an understatement to say that if she wins, she will forever be etched in American history. UNITED STATES.

If victorious, Harris, of Indian and Jamaican descent, would become the first black woman elected to the presidency. Harris would also become the second black president in less than 20 years, marking a pivotal moment for black Americans, who only gained their full rights as citizens only 59 years ago, when the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was adopted. Black history aside, Harris would also make history as the first woman and first South Asian president.

“This is a moment that I think each of us views as the opportunity of a lifetime,” said U.S. Sen. Laphonza Butler, a Harris-Walz campaign surrogate and close friend of Harris. Butler told the Grio that Harris’ election is “an opportunity to truly elevate America to its next level of greatness, to tell the story of what is possible when we choose to do things together.”

When asked about her potential breaking the glass ceiling for black women and all women, Harris often cites her mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who told her after she was elected district attorney of San Francisco: “Kamala, you You might be the first to do a lot of things. ; make sure you’re not the last one. Harris has also repeatedly emphasized that, despite her historic candidacy, she wants to be the president of “all” Americans.

Lisa Blunt Rochester

representative Lisa Blunt Rochester could become the first black woman elected to the U.S. Senate in the state of Delaware. She would also become the fourth black woman to serve in the Senate in its 235-year history. Blunt Rochester is a close ally of President Joe Biden, as they are from the same state.

The 62-year-old congresswoman was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2016. She served as co-chair of Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign and a member of the selection committee for selecting Biden’s vice presidential nominee , which ultimately selected Kamala Harris. She also spoke about the tragedy she experienced after losing her husband in 2014, which inspired her to run for Congress.

“I was a widow, I didn’t really know what I was going to do with my life,” she previously told the Grio. “That moment changed everything for me.”

Blunt Rochester could also make history alongside Angela Alsobrooks, a candidate for U.S. Senate in Maryland. If both are elected, Blunt Rochester and Alsobrooks would mark the first time two black women have served simultaneously in the U.S. Senate.

“It’s not lost on me that there have only been three women in the history of this country who have served in the United States Senate,” Blunt Rochester told the Grio last summer. Reflecting on what the future holds for Black women in the upper house of Congress, she added: “And four and five are on the way. »

The Senate candidate said she is also thinking about the possibility of Black women leading different positions in the federal government. “We might have (a black woman) president and two black senators, but we also have Ketanji Brown Jackson on the Supreme Court. For me, it’s just a source of pride, but also motivation,” Blunt Rochester told the Grio. Echoing Harris, she added: “If you ask any of us, we’ll tell you our goal is not just to be first, but to make sure others follow our traces. »

Angela Alsobrooks

Like Lisa Blunt Rochester, Angela Alsobrooks could make history Tuesday night as the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate in her state. In Maryland, Alsobrooks faces a tough competitor, former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan. However, Maryland has reliably elected Democrats to the Senate for more than 30 years.

Alsobooks presented Logan, who remains popular among Maryland voters, as anti-choice and warned that he would help Republicans pass a national abortion ban if his party regained the majority in the Senate. Alsobrooks also criticized Hogan as being anti-voting rights and opposing gun safety legislation, as he is aligned with the National Rifle Association.

She earned a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law and worked as a line prosecutor in the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office. She was elected Prince George’s County Executive in 2018.

During her speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, Alsobrooks spoke about her humble beginnings, telling the story of her grandmother, who worked as a housekeeper and taught herself to type in order to get a well-paying job in government.

“Stories like mine don’t usually make it to the U.S. Senate, but they should,” Alsobrooks said. “I have always been inspired by women like my grandmother. Women who imagine a better future and then have the courage to make it a reality.

Colin Allred

representative Colin AllredD-Texas, could also make history in the U.S. Senate as the first Black person from Texas elected to the upper house of Congress. If victorious, Allred, a former NFL player turned lawyer, would be etched in the history books, following in the footsteps of revolutionary black Texas politicians like Barbara Jordanthe first black woman from the South elected to the U.S. Congress, and Eddie Bernice Johnsonthe first black woman to represent Dallas in the United States House of Representatives.

“Here in Texas, we have a very rich history, especially as African Americans,” said Allred, whose family lineage in Texas dates back four generations during slavery in the United States. The 41-year-old politician noted that during the Jim Crow era, his grandparents did not have the right to vote.

However, the congressman and former voting rights attorney acknowledged that Texas, a former Confederate state, has also “made some of our greatest progress,” including former President Lyndon B. Johnson, who signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act. of 1965, two key pieces of legislation that granted Black Americans the right to vote.

Joining that history, Allred said, would be “incredibly important for Texas and for the country, that we have a Black senator.”

Although Texas is known as a ruby ​​red state that overwhelmingly favors Republicans, Allred has managed to gain momentum in the polls against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. “We can’t afford six more years with Ted Cruz,” Allred told the Grio. “Texas is an incredibly diverse and dynamic state. We are not the state in which (he), I think, represents us.

Janelle Bynum

In Oregon, state Rep. Janelle Bynum is fighting a tight congressional race against Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who won the seat in a district that President Joe Biden won in 2020. S If elected, Bynum, 49, would become the first black person to represent the district in a state with a black population of just 3 percent.

Bynum holds a certain advantage over Chavez-DeRemer, since both confronted in two previous state House elections. In both contests, Bynum was victorious. Democrats are also hoping for a surge of support for Bynum, driven by Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ turnout at the top of the ticket. Bynum also outspent his Republican opponent by more than a million dollars.

According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, Bynum was born in Washington, D.C., and describes herself as “a generation removed from segregation.” » The wife and mother of three was raised by two teachers, works as an engineer and owns four McDonald’s fast food restaurants.

Nick Brown

Former “Survivor” Contestant and Lawyer Nick Brown47, could make history Tuesday night as the first Black person to hold an executive office in Washington state history. Brown is running to become attorney general of Washington.

“We are historically a very white city and state, and our politics have certainly been dominated by white people,” said Brown, who grew up in Seattle. He previously told the Grio: “I like the idea of ​​making history. Not just to be first, but to bring a black man’s perspective to the office to try to improve the way we deliver justice in this state.

“We have a long way to go … to be fully inclusive and fully include people’s voices and to make sure that we don’t ignore people who have been ignored for generations,” added Brown, who President Joe Biden nominated U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington in 2021.

The father of two and proud self-proclaimed “football dad” graduated from Morehouse College and Harvard Law School and served in the United States Army. Brown also worked as general counsel for Washington Governor Jay Inslee.

If elected to the attorney general’s office, Brown told the Grio he hopes to “harness it” to provide access to marginalized communities and be a “sounding board” for them.

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