No less than five black Republican MPs will concurrently sit in Congress next yr, something the GOP has not seen for the reason that early 1870s.
Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, Burgess Owens of Utah, Byron Donalds of Florida, John James of Michigan, and Wesley Hunt of Texas will serve together within the 118th Congress.
“A story made with 5 dynamic Black men elected Republicans to serve together on the 118th Congress!” A spokesman for the Republican National Committee of Paris Dennard tweeted on Wednesday night after the election of Mr. James, “Congratulations to all of you!”
While the number is small in comparison with the Black Democrats who had 55 black members from congressional districts and two delegates from the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands in 117th Congress, it remains to be a watermark that has the potential to extend within the near future.
The primary five black members of Congress, all Republicans, were sworn in on the forty second Congress in 1871. Their ranks grew to seven in 1873. This remained until the beginning of the forty fifth Congress in 1877, when the variety of Black Republicans had dropped to simply three lawmakers.
This number continued to say no after reconstruction within the south was accomplished. No black GOP legislator sat in Congress from 1901 to 1929.
After Illinois representative Oscar Stanton DePriest left office in 1935, there have been no black Republicans in Congress until Connecticut representative Gary Franks swore in 1991.
The variety of Black Democrats in Congress grew steadily with each decade since 1935, starting with Illinois representative Arthur Mitchell.
In March of this yr, the National Republican Congressional Committee counted 81 black candidates running as Republicans in 72 congressional districts, up from 27 within the 2020 electoral cycle.
The NRCC called this number a “modern era record” for the party.
