Republican Latinas didn't dominate last week's House elections as many predicted. Nonetheless, the next session of Congress could once again become the most racially diverse in House history.
With several races not yet called, people of color so far make up one-third of the House's incoming freshman class, according to a LegiStorm review. Non-white representatives so far comprise only 16% of incoming Republican representatives. But among newly elected Democrats, non-white representatives make up a new majority at 55%.
For both parties, the incoming freshman class's women are more racially diverse than its men. Among freshman women, 62% of Democrats and 43% of Republicans are nonwhite. Non-white representatives are on track to comprise half of newly elected Democratic men and 10% of newly elected Republican men.
Each Congress since the 112th has broken the previous session's record for the most racially diverse member makeup. Non-white members currently make up 10% of Republican representatives and 45% of Democrats - 28% of the House's current membership.
