WASHINGTON - Shelley Moore Capito is now the first woman to represent West Virginia in the U.S. Senate.
Capito was one of a record number of 104 women who were sworn into Congress on Tuesday at the U.S. Capitol.
"Proud day for our family," Capito said. "My husband is here with my three children, their spouses and my two grandchildren."
Sen. Capito said that she is ready to represent the state in four different Senate committees.
"I'm hoping to have a national energy policy...that helps our coal industry in West Virginia, that capitalizes on our natural gas and that uses our resources in an environmentally-safe way," she said.
She will also serve as Counsel to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, where she will provide input and guidance to the Senate.
"That is a rare opportunity," she said. "I am a freshman, so I will be able to represent that new perspective."
Sen. Capito was also provided a seat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Environment and Public Works Committee, the Appropriations Committee and the Rules and Administration Committee. She is replacing longtime Senator Jay Rockefeller.