From a firefighter to a reconstructive surgeon, many 2026 midterm election winners were not your usual politicians

This week’s midterm elections brought historic firsts for diversity along with them—and a number of first-time elected officials whose professional backgrounds include firefighting, reconstructive surgery, and other work outside of politics. Last year, public service and politics, business, and law were the “dominant professions” among members of Congress, according to the federal government’s website, though many had also worked in education in some capacity....