California U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris has claimed one of two spots in the November runoff, moving the state attorney general into a potentially historic election.
Harris, a Democrat, had a wide lead in early returns Tuesday.
If elected this fall, the 51-year-old daughter of immigrants from India and Jamaica would set historic marks. She would become the first Indian woman to hold a Senate seat and the second black woman elected to the Senate. Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun was elected in 1992 and served one term.
Thirty-four candidates are seeking the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer. Under California's unusual election rules, only two — the top vote-getters — advance to November.
A series of polls have suggested Harris and another Democrat, U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Orange County, will face off in the fall.
