Diversity wins: All of the people who made history in the 2018 midterm elections

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Diversity wins: All of the people who made history in the 2018 midterm elections

New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Scott Eisen/Getty Images

New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

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The 2018 midterm elections, which captured the attention of the nation perhaps as much as any presidential election, saw history made on multiple fronts.

A diverse set of candidates won big victories in states across the country on Tuesday night as people voted at recorded levels.

Beyond the seismic shift in the makeup of Congress, here are people who made history on an individual level in this year's midterm elections.

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 29, is the youngest woman elected to Congress in US history.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 29, is the youngest woman elected to Congress in US history.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 29, on Tuesday night officially became the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.

Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat, will represent New York's 14th Congressional District.

She won a shocking victory over longtime Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley in New York's Democratic congressional primary back in June.

Ocasio-Cortez quickly became a recognizable figure for the party nationwide prior to an easy victory in her historically Democratic district on Tuesday.

Rashida Tlaib is among the first two Muslim women elected to Congress is US history.

Rashida Tlaib is among the first two Muslim women elected to Congress is US history.

Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar became the first Muslim women elected to Congress in US history on Tuesday night.

Tlaib is set to represent Michigan's 13th Congressional District.

The progressive Democrat is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants and was also the first Muslim female member of Michigan's state legislature.

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Ilhan Omar joins Tlaib as one of the first two Muslim women in modern US history to be elected to Congress. She's also the first Somali-American woman to achieve the same.

Ilhan Omar joins Tlaib as one of the first two Muslim women in modern US history to be elected to Congress. She's also the first Somali-American woman to achieve the same.

Ilhan Omar, a progressive Democrat who is also the first Somali-American woman elected to Congress, came to the US as a refugee.

She's set to represent Minnesota's 5th Congressional District.

Tlaib and Omar campaigned together earlier this year.

Jared Polis is the first openly gay man to be elected as the governor of a US state.

Jared Polis is the first openly gay man to be elected as the governor of a US state.

Democratic Rep. Jared Polis on Tuesday night became the first openly gay man elected as the governor of a US state.

Polis, a Democrat, won the Colorado gubernatorial race against Republican Walker Stapleton.

He was not shy about his sexual orientation on the campaign trail whatsoever. "I think it really gives Colorado an opportunity to stick a thumb in the eye of Mike Pence, whose view of America is not as inclusive as where America is today," Polis said of his candidacy during a speech earlier this year.

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Sharice Davids is the first Native American woman elected to Congress in US history.

Sharice Davids is the first Native American woman elected to Congress in US history.

Sharice Davids, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, will be the first Native American woman to serve in Congress after winning a big victory in Kansas on Tuesday night.

Davids defeated four-term Republican incumbent Rep. Kevin Yoder.

Davids, a lesbian, will represent Kansas' 3rd Congressional District. She's also the first openly LGBTQ person to represent Kansas in Congress.

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