It started yesterday with Americans seeing the nation’s first Latina Supreme Court justice swear in the first woman, and first woman of color, ever elected to national office.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Wednesday, a history-making event in which the first Black, South Asian and female vice president will take her oath of office from the first Latina justice.
She was then congratulated by the first second gentleman, who’s also the first Jewish person to be married to a vice president.
[Harris’] husband Doug Emhoff is also the nation’s first “second gentleman.” He is also the first Jew in the quartet of American presidents, vice presidents and their spouses.
Soon after, the new vice president swore in three new U.S. Democratic senators, each of whom added to the historical breakthroughs.
Upon taking his oath, Georgia’s Raphael Warnock became the 11th Black senator to serve in the office, the first from Georgia and the third serving currently. Jon Ossoff, also of Georgia, became the first senator born in the 1980s, the youngest since Biden began his first Senate term in 1973 and the Peach State’s first Jewish senator. And Alex Padilla became the first Latino senator from California.
Once the chamber’s three newest members had officially joined the institution, Chuck Schumer broke a barrier of his own.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday became the first Jewish Senate majority leader and the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in U.S. history. In his inaugural address, President Joe Biden — who, incidentally, is only the second Roman Catholic to serve in the office — told Americans, “Don’t tell me things can’t change!” As the dust settled yesterday, it was easy to believe him.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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