El Paso's newly elected representative for the 16th Congressional District, Robert "Beto" O'Rourke, was officially sworn in Thursday morning in Washington, D.C.
O'Rourke is one of 82 freshmen House lawmakers and 12 new Senators who took office.
The 113th Congress is considered more diverse than others before it.
It will include the first Hindu to serve in the House or Senate, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, and the first Buddhist senator Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii.
The Congress will also include the first openly bisexual congresswoman Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., who is also the first member of Congress to self-identify as religiously unaffiliated.
Also sworn in was Congress' first openly gay lawmaker of color, Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif, as well as four African-Americans, 10 Latinos, five Asian-Americans and two dozen women.
O'Rourke defeated eight-term incumbent Silvestre Reyes in the May 2012 primary to face Republican Barbara Carrasco in the general election. Carrasco was handily defeated by O'Rourke.
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