Courtesy of SF Gate
Courtesy of San Francisco Chronicle

California voters made a historic vote on Tuesday, electing the state’s first new U.S. senator in 24 years and the first black politician to represent the state in the senate in electing State Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris to the U.S. senate.

Harris, the former San Francisco Attorney General from 2004-2011, won the seat over challenger Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange).

Harris hails from Oakland, California and was born to immigrants from India and Jamaica. Her work began in politics as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County, California in 1990. In July of this year, President Obama and Joe Biden endorsed Harris as a “fearless fighter for the people of California,” per the Los Angeles Times.

The appeal of Harris’ campaign largely centered around her stances on education — lowering public university tuition costs, making community college tuition free and refinancing of student loans.

Harris is the second black woman elected to the U.S. senate since Carol Moseley Braun served from 1993 to 1999. She will succeed Democrat Barbara Boxer, who is retiring after serving four terms in the U.S. senate.