The Senate has had no Black women since Kamala Harris became the country’s first woman vice president nearly two years ago. This year, two candidates had a chance of changing that: Cheri Beasley of North Carolina and Val Demings of Florida. Both Democrats, Beasley and Demings emerged as competitive candidates in races that favored their Republican opponents, even surpassing Republicans in fundraising. But both fell short Tuesday, Decision Desk HQ projects, and the Senate will remain without a Black woman. Demings lost to Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who was first elected in 2010. Beasley lost to Rep.Ted Budd in the race for the seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Richard Burr. “It’s very disturbing that we would continue to have zero Black women senators for this next term. It’s another indicator that we are failing to be a truly democratic society,” said Nadia Brown, professor of government, chair of the Women’s and Gender Studies program at Georgetown University. “We know that more diversity produces better outcomes, and so having people at the legislative table that have different lived experiences leads to better policy.” Read more about what this means for the Senate through 🔗in our bio.