2 Native American Women Score a Major First

After 229 years with no Native American women in Congress, next year there will be two. Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland, both Democrats, won House races Tuesday and will become the first Native American congresswomen, CNN reports. Davids, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, defeated GOP Rep. Kevin Yoder in Kansas, while Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo people, won the race for the New Mexico seat Democratic Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham vacated to run for governor. In Colorado, meanwhile, Rep. Jared Polis defeated Republican Walker Stapleton, making him the first openly gay American to be elected governor, CBS reports. His victory keeps the governor's mansion in Democratic hands.

In other firsts, Democrats Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan both won House races and will be the first Muslim women in Congress, the AP reports. Another trailblazer, Boston City Councilwoman Ayanna Pressley, was elected to the House and will be the first black congresswoman from Massachusetts. Rep. Marsha Blackburn's victory will make her the first female senator from Tennessee, while either Republican Martha McSally or Democrat Kyrsten Sinema will become the first woman Arizona sends to the Senate. In Vermont, however, Christine Hallquist lost the governor's race to incumbent Republican Gov. Phil Scott, the Hill reports. Hallquist would have been the nation's first transgender governor. (More Election 2018 stories.)