This post was written by staff writer James Levinson.

Elliott School of International Affairs, MA, 1992
Running as a challenger for an Illinois seat in the U.S. Senate

Alumna Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Il., won a U.S. Senate seat representing Illinois.

Duckworth is the current representative of Illinois’ eighth district in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Duckworth captured 65 percent of the vote and incumbent Mark Kirk got 30 percent with 14 percent reporting, according to CNN and the Washington Post.

Duckworth is the second female combat veteran who has been elected to the Senate after becoming the first disabled woman elected to Congress in 2012.

She is a combat veteran of the Iraq war, where she served as a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army. She lost both legs in an attack in 2004.

After failing in a bid for Congress in 2006, Duckworth was elected to Illinois’ eighth district in 2012. She currently works on the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee of Oversight and Government Reform.

Duckworth has said she plans to advocate for affordable higher education by expanding the Pell Grant program and allowing students to refinance debt, according to the Daily Kos. She also plans to create more clean jobs.