Adriano Espaillat made history Tuesday night and was elected the first Dominican American, and first formerly undocumented immigrant, to the U.S. Congress.
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In the overwhelmingly Democratic New York City congressional district, Espaillat won 89 percent of the vote, beating Republican challenger Tony Evans, who snagged 7 percent of the vote in New York's 13th district. Espaillat and Evans received 147,591 and 11,111 votes, respectively.
Espaillat's victory comes after losing two consecutive challenges to unseat longtime incumbent, Democratic congressman Charles Rangel in 2012 and 2014. Changing demographics in district could have fueled his victory Tuesday night.
The African American population in the Bronx and Harlem have declined since Rangel took office, especially after the district was reconfigured in 2012, according to Falcón. Currently the district is about 31 percent black, 24.6 percent white and 4.7 percent Asian. About 54 percent identify as Latino, and that population is made up of primarily Dominican-Americans.
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"Adriano has served in the New York State Legislature for 20 years, championing the rights of tenants, students, and working families all across the spectrum," said the Latino Victory Fund, congratulating Espaillat for his victory.
"We are proud to congratulate Adriano on becoming the first Dominican-American to serve in The U.S. House of Representatives, and we look forward to having him bring his skill and dedication to public service to Washington."
