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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of Calif., administers the House oath of bureau to Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla. during a ceremonial swearing-in connected Capitol Hill successful Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. Cherfilus-McCormick won a peculiar predetermination Florida's 20th legislature territory to capable the spot near vacant aft Rep. Alcee Hastings's decease past year. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

WASHINGTON – Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida was sworn successful arsenic the newest subordinate of the House connected Tuesday, filling the spot past held by Alcee Hastings, who died successful April of pancreatic cancer.

She'll boost the Democrats’ slender House bulk to 222-212, leaving country for nary much than 4 Democratic defections arsenic Speaker Nancy Pelosi tries moving her party’s bills done the House. For overmuch of 2021, that borderline was three.

Cherfilus-McCormick volition correspond a firmly Democratic district. She won bureau calling for a guaranteed income for astir adults of $1,000 a month, an summation successful the national minimum wage to $20 an hr and allowing each Americans to enactment successful Medicare.

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., lauded his caller workfellow soon aft she took the oath of office, telling lawmakers successful the House enclosure that she'll correspond an highly divers legislature district. He noted that she began moving successful 1999 astatine Trinity Healthcare Services, a supplier of in-home care, and yet became its CEO.

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“This erstwhile azygous parent is an illustration of the American imagination and represents the aspirations of truthful galore of our South Florida neighbors," Diaz-Balart said.

Cherfilus-McCormick told members of the House that she is simply a kid of Haitian immigrants who risked their lives to travel to the United States.

“I convey my colleagues who fought for maine adjacent earlier I was calved to guarantee that immigrants tin really person a spot successful our state and unrecorded the American dream," she said.

Cherfilus-McCormick tried and failed to unseat Hastings successful the 2018 and 2020 Democratic primaries. Democrats outnumber Republicans by a astir 5-1 ratio successful the district, which includes parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties. She won the peculiar election handily past week, but the superior was a antithetic story. She won by 5 votes implicit the runner-up successful a crowded tract of Democratic contenders.

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She loaned her run astir $6 million, and repaid herself $2 cardinal of that amount. She acold outspent the different candidates successful the 2 elections. She is simply a joined parent of two.

There is 1 different House vacancy: Republican U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes of California near bureau to articulation a media institution tally by erstwhile President Donald Trump.

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