Representative Tammy Duckworth won Tuesday night’s US Senate race against Senator Mark Kirk, restoring a seat to the Democrats that was once held by Barack Obama, Huffington online reported.
Duckworth, a Thai-American, Iraq War veteran and two-term congresswoman, will be the second Asian-American senator and the first female senator to have seen combat. She is also the second woman in Illinois’s history to become a senator. The first, Carol Moseley Braun, served from 1993 to 1999.
Duckworth’s victory also means both of the state’s senators are now Democrats.
She has served in the House since 2013 and previously led the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. Throughout her campaign, she withstood attacks about her tenure leading the department and her thin legislative record.
Vice President of Democrats Abroad Thailand Richard Graves said that he was glad Duckworth won the Senate. He said this proved diversity and non-discrimination within the Democratic Party, adding that he believed that Duckworth would do a great job representing the people in the Senate.
“I know that she is Thai. Still, she won to represent the US citizens … This partly shows that the people respect diversity,” he said.
Another Democrat supporter, Paul Lemoine, 34, a tourist from New York said that he was happy for Duckworth and believed she would be a good representative.
“I know her stories. She used to fight in Iraq and is a double amputee after the plane she co-piloted crashed. Even then, she pursued her aspiration in politics. She seems to be a fighter. So, I believe she will be great,” he said.
Miranda Williams, 27, a Briton who went to a university in the United States and is a supporter of the Democrats, said that she was happy, not only for Duckworth but also for Thai people.
“I think she is great. I am happy for Thai people because Duckworth is also Thai and she could go so far. They should be proud of her,” she said.