Male-Dominated Congress Adds New Women

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif. meets reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2006. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (J. Scott Applewhite - AP)

Black and Hispanic candidates for the House have been helped by the creation of districts in which minorities are in the majority. They have not, however, done well in majority white districts.

In the House, only three black members and one Hispanic member represent districts with white majorities. That includes Democrat Keith Ellison of Minnesota, who on Tuesday became the first Muslim elected to Congress.

"We have to make progress in running Hispanic candidates in non-Hispanic districts," said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.

"We need to show non-Latinos that Latinos can provide effective leadership for everybody," Vargas said.

Massachusetts became the second state to elect a black governor, 17 years after Virginia became the first.

But black candidates did not fare as well in races for the Senate.

In Tennessee, Democrat Harold Ford Jr. lost a close race to Republican Bob Corker. In Maryland, Republican Michael Steele lost to Democrat Ben Cardin.

L. Douglas Wilder, the nation's first black governor, said black candidates have done best when they focus on issues other than race. Wilder said he heard supporters of Ken Blackwell, a black Republican who lost big in the race for Ohio governor, talk about making history by electing Ohio's first black governor.

"People are not interested in making history," said Wilder, who is now mayor of Richmond, Va. "What has history got to do with effectiveness?"

Rep. Melvin Watt, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said race is still a factor in politics.

"There is still a lot of racially polarized voting," said Watt, D-N.C. "It's diminishing, but it still exists."