Women looking to make Senate history 'intend to be quite bold'

WASHINGTON — When Sen. Laphonza Butler was sworn in to the Senate in October 2023, she joined a small — and lonely — club: being a Black woman in the United States Senate. And when her term concludes at the end of this year, she’s hoping her departure doesn’t create a void.

With Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks running for the open Senate seats in Delaware and Maryland, respectively, there’s a possibility that two Black women will serve in the Senate at the same time — a first in the more than two centuries since the U.S. Senate first convened in 1789. And in the Senate alone, there are currently more men named John or Jon than there have ever been Black women.

At a panel discussion Friday moderated by political commentator Angela Rye at the Congressional Black Caucus’ Annual Legislative Conference, Alsobrooks, Butler and Blunt Rochester spoke about the importance of having Black women in the Senate, and in politics.

“We are a part of this country. We helped build this country. We deserve to be in these places, in these spaces,” Blunt Rochester said.

Blunt Rochester, a four-term House member, is running to succeed fellow Democrat Thomas R. Carper, who in May 2023 announced his plans to retire. Butler, who was appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom after the death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein in September 2023, is the third Black woman to serve in the Senate. Although she isn’t running for the seat, she said one area where having representation in the Senate is important is in votes to confirm judges and other government appointees.

Butler said the outcome of this election can mark a turning point for Black women in the Senate where it isn’t a matter of being the only one anymore, but of being one of multiple.

“I’m excited for the doors that they are going to kick open when we are no longer counting how many,” Butler said.

Butler is the third Black woman to serve in the Senate. Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois was the first, and she served from 1993 to 1999. After Moseley Braun lost her reelection bid, it wasn’t until now-Vice President Kamala Harris won the 2016 election to succeed retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer in California that another Black woman served in the Senate. When Harris became vice president in 2021, it wasn’t until Butler came to the Senate in October 2023 that a Black woman once again was in the Senate.

Alsobrooks, who is running to fill the seat of Benjamin L. Cardin, said that while the historic nature of her and Blunt Rochester’s campaigns should not be understated, she knows they belong in the Senate just like any other senator.

“What we say is that while we might make history, that’s not why we do this,” Alsobrooks said. “We’re doing this to make a difference. We’re doing this to have an impact.”

Blunt Rochester cited maternal mortality, student debt and pay disparities as areas in which the perspective of Black women can inform policymaking in a unique way. She also said reproductive rights and combating gun violence are two issues she is hoping to prioritize if elected.

“These issues are both professional, because we each have professional backgrounds, but they’re also personal,” she said.

Blunt Rochester’s race is currently rated Solid Democratic by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales. Alsobrooks, who faces former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, is in a race rated Likely Democratic.

“We intend to be quite bold,” Alsobrooks said. “God willing, upon our election, that there’s no reason for us to hold back. We have a whole lot of energy and some focus and a mission that we’re serious about.”