The US just elected 8 new scientists to Congress, including an ocean expert, a nurse, and a biochemist. Here's the full list.
On Tuesday, 8 new science-credentialed candidates were elected: one senator and seven members of the House.
When the 116th Congress heads to Washington in January, there will be a record number of women in the ranks — at least 123, according to the news website Axios, including the first Muslim women, the first Somali-American, and the first Native American women.
There will be more scientists too.
On Tuesday, at least eight new science-credentialed candidates were elected: one senator and seven members of the House. Full results are not yet available in Washington state, where a pediatrician is likely to be elected to the House.
The members of the 115th Congress include one physicist, one microbiologist, and one chemist, as well as eight engineers and one mathematician. three nurses and 15 doctors
Here's what to know about the new scientists heading to the Hill.
Jacky Rosen, a computer programmer who positioned herself as a moderate Democrat, beat her Republican opponent, Dean Heller, in the US Senate race in Nevada.
Rosen, who two years ago was elected to represent Nevada's 3rd District in the House, touted her role in the construction of a large solar array in a Las Vegas suburb that she said lowered her synagogue's energy bill by 70%.
During the campaign, she criticized Heller for his deciding vote on a law letting internet service providers sell consumer data without their permission. Despite initially opposing efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Heller also changed his stance on the healthcare law and supported a Republican replacement plan.
Nevada's turnout was enormous, with twice as many early voters as there were in the 2014 midterm elections.
Chrissy Houlahan, an industrial engineer, Democrat, and Air Force veteran, won the House seat in Pennsylvania's 6th District.
Houlahan, who said she would focus on making healthcare more affordable, defeated her
In South Carolina's 1st District, which has been red since 1981, Joe Cunningham, an ocean scientist, defeated the Republican hopeful Katie Arrington.
Cunningham, who is also a lawyer, sparred with Arrington throughout the campaign over the future of offshore drilling. His expertise in this area won over the Republican mayors of the coastal cities of Folly Beach and Isle of Palms.
Arrington, who has served in South Carolina's House of Representatives, does not oppose offshore drilling. She emphasized national issues such as immigration and President Donald Trump's proposed wall along the US-Mexico border, while Cunningham focused on local issues.
Cunningham won the race by 4,036 votes, a margin of 1.4 percentage points. An outcome with a margin of 1 percentage point or less would have triggered an automatic recount.
Sean Casten, a biochemical engineer, defeated Rep. Peter Roskam, the Republican incumbent, in Illinois' 6th District.
Casten, who founded a waste-energy recovery company with his father, was victorious in a district that had been a Republican stronghold since 1970.
Roskam, who has represented the district since 2007, has called the consensus on climate change "junk science." After Casten decided to run, Roskam joined the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus.
During his campaign, Casten frequently criticized Trump and focused on healthcare, climate change, gun control, and LGBTQ rights.
Elaine Luria, a nuclear engineer, won her House seat in Virginia, becoming the first Democrat since 2008 to represent the 2nd District.
Luria, who joined the US Navy when she was 17, spent 20 years operating nuclear reactors as an engineer and Navy commander. She defeated Rep. Scott Taylor on Tuesday after focusing her campaign on expanding the Affordable Care Act, pushing for tighter gun laws, and increasing the minimum wage.
Taylor, a former Navy Seal, was seeking his second term in Congress. In September, The Virginian-Pilot reported that Taylor was subpoenaed to testify in a lawsuit alleging that some of his campaign staff members circulated fraudulent petitions to help get an independent candidate on the district's ballot.
In Washington state, Kim Schrier, a pediatrician, leads former state Sen. Dino Rossi. She is on track to become the 8th District's first Democratic representative.
As of Wednesday afternoon, with more than 60% of precincts reporting, Schrier was leading Rossi, 52.9% to 47.1%.
According to The Seattle Times, at least 100,000 ballots had not been counted as of late Tuesday, though Rossi would need to capture about 55% of the remaining votes to upset Schrier.
Since the 8th District was created in 1983, only three Republicans have been elected to represent it. Schrier, who started her medical practice more than 15 years ago, also aims to become the first female doctor in Congress.
In Illinois' 14th District, Lauren Underwood, a registered nurse, unseated Randy Hultgren, the four-term Republican incumbent.
Underwood was a senior adviser at the Department of Health and Human Services under President Barack Obama. In the role, she focused on preventing and responding to bioterrorism threats, public-health emergencies, and other disasters.
She will be the first black woman to represent the 14th District, which is about 86% white.
The only new Republican scientist in Congress so far is conservative Kevin Hern, a former aerospace engineer and businessman who handily beat his Democratic challenger, attorney Tim Gilpin, in Oklahoma's 1st District, which includes Tulsa.
Hern's LinkedIn page says he holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Arkansas Tech University.
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Hern is a vocal Trump supporter who wants to build up the Mexican border wall and repeal the Affordable Care Act. He owns 10 McDonald's restaurants around the Tulsa area. In Washington, he'll replace Rep. Jim Bridenstine, who's now the NASA administrator.
In New Jersey's southernmost 2nd District, Jeff Van Drew, a dentist, will replace Republican Rep. Frank LoBiondo, who's represented that part of the state since 1995 and is retiring.
Van Drew, who's been a New Jersey state senator since 2008, sponsored legislation to help children with dyslexia, preserve farmland, and stop offshore drilling on the coast.
He has said his biggest focus on Capitol Hill will be increasing the number of jobs in New Jersey.
His opponent, the Republican attorney Seth Grossman, did not immediately concede the race as results poured in early Wednesday, though Van Drew locked in 52% of the vote.
All seven of the scientists endorsed by 314 Action who were up for reelection won their races. So did four other incumbent scientists.
They include:
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