WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 28:  Former Senator Edward William Brooke (R-MA) speaks underneath a statue of Abraham Lincoln during a ceremony to honor Brooke with the Congressional Gold Medal in the Rotunda of the US Capitol on October 28, 2009 in Washington, DC. Brooke, a two-term Republican senator from 1967-1979, was the first African-American elected to the senate by popular vote. Getty Images logo Getty Images 3 weeks ago

WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 28: Former Senator Edward William Brooke (R-MA) speaks underneath a statue of Abraham Lincoln during a ceremony to honor Brooke with the Congressional Gold Medal in the Rotunda of the US Capitol on October 28, 2009 in Washington, DC. Brooke, a two-term Republican senator from 1967-1979, was the first African-American elected to the senate by popular vote.