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Election Update: New Faces of the U.S. Senate

Republicans will maintain control of the Senate in the 115th Congress with at least 51 senators after defending 24 seats in yesterday’s election. Two races have not been called yet – in Louisiana, where a run-off will take place in December, and in New Hampshire, where the vote count is too close to call. Here is a look at the five new Senators who will take office in January. [Source: CQ Roll Call]

NEVADA: Catherine Cortez Masto (D) was Reid’s hand-picked Democratic successor from Nevada and is the first Latina elected to the Senate. She is expected to pursue immigration reform and supported President Barack Obama’s executive actions in this area. As the state’s attorney general, her lawsuit against banks helped bring financial relief to homeowners caught in the housing bubble.

ILLINOIS: Tammy Duckworth (D) joins the Senate after serving in the Army Reserve, the Illinois National Guard and two terms in the House. Having lost both legs and partial use of her right arm after the Black Hawk helicopter she was co-piloting was shot down during her 2004 deployment in Iraq, she is a vocal advocate for veterans. She was born in Thailand to her American father and Thai Chinese mother. She is a proponent of background checks for gun purchases and opposes cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

CALIFORNIA: Kamala Harris (D) joins the Senate as the second African-American woman elected to the chamber. Harris was born in Oakland, and has served as California’s attorney general since 2011. Her agenda focuses on overhauling the criminal justice system, reducing violence and promoting civil rights. Harris has also prioritized creating a sustainable water supply and climate change legislation.

MARYLAND: Chris Van Hollen (D) takes the seat occupied by the longest-serving woman in the Senate, fellow Democrat Barbara A. Mikulski. Van Hollen said he will ensure that Maryland receives its share of federal funding, particularly considering the substantial presence of federal agencies based in the Free State. He will likely pursue tax overhaul legislation, as he has proposed raising the Social Security payroll tax for workers whose earned income exceeds $400,000 a year.

INDIANA: Todd Young (R) will keep the open Indiana seat in Republican hands as he succeeds the retiring Dan Coats who is a fellow deficit hawk. During his campaign Young ventured into the usually untouchable topic of increasing the minimum Social Security eligibility age for today’s younger workers. With unified Republican control of the government, attempts to modify entitlement programs could be in play.

NEW HAMPSHIRE: New Hampshire have elected Gov. Maggie Hassan (D) to succeed Kelly Ayotte in the U.S. Senate. As governor, Hassan built on a legal career with ties to hospitals and social services by pushing through changes to the state’s health care system and pursuing protections for seniors. She spent most of her career practicing law, including as counsel for Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. As Governor, she lowered tuition at state-run colleges and during her Senate campaign, she pledged to pursue expanding Pell Grants and lowering student loan interest rates.

LOUISIANA: In Louisiana, no candidate garnered the 50 percent needed to win the Senate seat outright, so a runoff between Republican John Kennedy and Democrat Foster Campbell will be held Dec. 10.