Democrat Ayanna Pressley becomes Massachusetts’ first black congresswoman and tells her supporters ‘activists and agitators have brought us to this very moment’
Ayanna Pressley, 44, will represent the Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives
She is the first black woman in the state to ever be elected to congress
Pressley ran unopposed after unseating 10-term Rep Michael Capuano in the primary election in September
‘Activists and agitators have brought us to this very moment,’ she told a roaring crowd in her victory speech Tuesday night
By KAYLA BRANTLEY
DAILYMAIL.COM
7 November 2018
Ayanna Pressley has made history as Massachusetts’s first black congresswoman.
The Democratic candidate accepted her victory Tuesday night to officially represent Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives.
Pressley, 44, sailed through the general election unopposed after defeating 10-term Rep Michael Capuano in a shocking win during the state primary election in September.
‘Activists and agitators have brought us to this very moment,’ Pressley told cheering supporters Tuesday night in her victory speech. ‘None of us ran to make history. We ran to make change, and change is on the way.’
‘Can a congresswoman wear her hair in braids? Rock a black leather jacket?’ Pressley said as the crowd roared.
Pressley’s September win had assured her victory Tuesday night, with only the unlikely possibility of a write-in candidate to defeat her.
She’ll now represent the 7th Congressional District – the first in Massachusetts where minorities make up a majority of the voting population.
‘It is hard to believe that in the 230-year history of our delegation, there’s never been a person of color,’ she said on Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien.
This is true of the House, however Republican Sen. Edward Brooke of Massachusetts, took office in 1967 as the first black politician to be elected by popular vote after the 17th Amendment was ratified in 1913.
Pressley is also the first African-American to serve on the Boston City Council.
The Rest…HERE
