An election of firsts, from Donald Trump on down the ballot

Former President Donald Trump won the White House in an extraordinary political comeback, becoming the first president in more than a century to win a second term after being rejected by the voters.

His victory followed President Grover Cleveland's, who began his second term after a gap of four years in 1893.

But that was hardly the only first to come out of this year's results. There were many others, on ballots across the country. Here are some of them.

First Republican on track to win popular vote in 20 years

Openly LGBTQ politician to represent Texas in Congress

Julie Johnson, a Democrat from Dallas, will become the first openly LGBTQ representative from Texas in Congress.

Her election stands in contrast to laws passed in Texas such as a ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender children, which was opposed by LGBTQ advocacy groups.

She will succeed a fellow Democrat, Rep. Colin Allred, who tried unsuccessfully to unseat Republican Ted Cruz.

Two Black women head to the Senate

Two Black women head to the U.S. Senate in firsts for each of them and together.

In Maryland, Democrat Angela Alsobrooks defeated former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan to become the state's first Black senator.

In neighboring Delaware, another Democrat, Lisa Blunt Rochester , also was elected to the Senate, the first Black woman to represent the state.

For the first time, two Black women will be serving as senators at the same time.

They were preceded by Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, a Democrat who represented Illinois from 1993 to 1999, Vice President Kamala Harris, in the Senate from California from 2017 to 2021, and Sen. Laphonza Butler, also of California, who was appointed last year to replace the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and who declined to run for the seat.

Their victories raise the number of Black members of the Senate overall to five, the most to serve together in the history of a body that remains dominated by white men.

Congress' longest serving woman

Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat from Ohio, was fighting to remain the longest serving woman in Congress.

First elected in 1982, Kaptur gained that title in the House in 2018. She now has bested the record of Sen. Barbara Mikulski, a Democrat from Maryland who served in Congress for 40 years.

Kaptur was up against Republican Derek Merrin, in a race NBC has not yet called.

Hispanic lawmakers make gains

Republican Bernie Moreno, an Ohio businessman born in Colombia, beat longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, ending Brown's 50-year political career.

In the House, Nellie Pou becomes the first Hispanic woman to represent New Jersey.