A phalanx of lawyers, observers and campaign officials are watching the counting of votes in the race for Senate, where a Democratic challenger has a slim lead.
Democrats in the South used anger over redistricting, cuts to key federal programs and attacks on Black history to help galvanize a crucial bloc of voters to the polls.
The New York Democrat who is in line to be the first Black speaker was raised in Brooklyn, is a moderate who is cautious by nature and loves a hip-hop reference.