The 2019 Congress could shatter diversity records

Alayna Treene 2 hours ago

If Democrats take back the House in November, 2019 could have more minority representatives in Congress than it's had in its 230-year history.

Why it matters: Congress would finally start to look more like the country it represents.

The big picture: 50 years ago, white men made up 97% of the House, Washington-based lobbying firm United by Interest outlines in their latest diversity memo, obtained first by Axios.

But in 2017 (the latest recorded data), racial and ethnic minorities represented more than 45% of House Democrats, and women made up one-third of the Democratic chamber.

Both numbers, which have been on a steady rise for years (as depicted in the above chart), are expected to grow this year, thanks to a historically high number of women candidates running in the 2018 midterm elections and groundbreaking primary wins by minority Democrats who overthrew their white incumbent challengers.

Compare this to 2016: According to United by Interest, 40% of Hillary Clinton voters were minorities, while 88% of Donald Trump's voters were white.

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https://www.axios.com/2018-midterm-elections-diversity-congress-women-dc2a5e16-97fb-4596-9831-bbf6d2b9b47b.html