On Tuesday, Congressman Ed Markey became Senator Ed Markey. In doing so, he brought the Senate's black membership from 2 to 1.
Markey, who represents Massachusetts, was sworn in Tuesday afternoon, replacing interim Sen. Mo Cowan. Cowan was appointed to the Senate seat that was vacated by John Kerry this February when Kerry became secretary of state. Sen. Cowan's last moments as a senator were spent in the Old Senate Chamber, trying to come to a deal on executive nominations. "When Mo Cowan comes to the Senate, interesting things happen," he said Monday night.
Cowan's exit leaves Republican Tim Scott as the only black senator in the United States. Scott was appointed to the South Carolina seat that was vacated by Sen. Jim Demint at the beginning of this year. In the Senate's history, there have been just eight African-American senators. In 2012, 13.1 percent of the United States was black or African-American. As of today, one percent of the United States Senate is black or African-American.
For the Senate, it's back to an even more stark demographically unrepresentative existance. For Cowan, it's back to, well:
So...where were we?
- Mo Cowan (@mocowan) July 16, 2013
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