Rep. Gabe Amo, the first Black representative from Rhode Island in Congress, is sworn into office
Democrat Gabe Amo gives both thumbs up to the room full of election night supporters, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, at The Guild in Pawtucket, R.I., after winning Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District seat. The former White House aide will become the state’s first Black candidate elected to the U.S. House. (Kris Craig/Providence Journal via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — New Democratic Rep. Gabe Amo, the first Black representative from Rhode Island in Congress, was sworn into office Monday.
Amo, a Democrat, won a special election in November to replace Democratic Rep. David Cicilline, who stepped down this summer to lead a nonprofit foundation.
The House chamber burst into applause as Speaker Mike Johnson swore in the new lawmaker.
The son of Ghanaian and Liberian immigrants, Amo worked most recently as a senior adviser to President Joe Biden. He previously worked in state government and in the Obama White House.