In the U.S. Senate’s 236-year history, only five Black women have ever served.
2025 saw Black women make history in the Senate. It was the first time two Black women — Sen. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware— served simultaneously. In 2026, history could be made again thanks to the current seven Black women who have declared their run for one of the 100 Senate seats. Each is running as a Democrat. If even one candidate wins, it’ll be the first time three Black women serve simultaneously.
Jasmine Crockett, a U.S. representative for Texas, has made a name for herself in Congress thanks to her advocacy and quick thinking. She launched her Senate run mere days ago, debuting a powerful video showing her standing defiantly over an audio track of President Trump berating her. “If the president cannot keep my name out of his mouth, then who is it that would be better to make sure they’re in the U.S. Senate to hold him accountable? I am the one that he is afraid of,” she told CNN.
Longtime Illinois Congresswoman Robin Kelly launched a 2026 campaign, aiming to take Dick Durbins’s seat. She’s up against Juliana Stratton, the state’s lieutenant governor, who is also running in the Democratic primary. If either Kelly or Stratton win, they’d be the second Black woman to serve in the Senate from Illinois. After all, the Midwest state elected Carol Moseley Braun, the first-ever Black woman senator, in 1992.
Kentucky Democratic representative and House Minority Floor Leader Pamela Stevenson is running for the open seat Mitch McConnell is vacating. She is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and attorney. Kentucky has never elected a Black or woman senator. Stevenson would be the first.
In Mississippi, Priscilla Williams-Till is running. She is the cousin of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old Chicago boy who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955. When announcing her run, she talked about being frustrated by leadership and the incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who triggered national controversy during a 2018 campaign event when sounding enthused about the possibility of joining a public hanging. Mississippi hasn’t had a Black senator since the 1800s.
N’Kiyla “Jasmine” Thomas, who is also indigenous and of the Chickasaw Nation, declared a run in Oklahoma. Her platform is about education reform, accessible healthcare, fair wages, support for veteran and military families, and more. Oklahoma has never had a Black U.S. senator.
Catherine Fleming Bruce of South Carolina is running for the seat held by Lindsey Graham. Fleming Bruce is known as an author and activist in her community. She is also a preservationist, focused on keeping American and Black history alive. She would be the state’s first Black woman and second Black senator.
These seven are not final. It’s possible that more will declare their run, and some may even drop out. It’s worth noting that in 2022, 22 Black women ran for the Senate, but none won. What’s different now, even though fewer are running, is that two Black women already hold Senate seats. This, in other words, is a moment in the heels of history with possibly more to be made.