Several new members of the Senate on Sunday were sworn in for the 117th Congress. The new members include Sens. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.). Tuberville defeated former Sen. Doug Jones, a Democrat; while Hickenlooper defeated former Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.). Marshall succeeded former Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Hagerty succeeded former Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), and Lummis succeeded former Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.). “To say the 117th Congress convenes at a challenging time would indeed be an understatement,” Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a statement after the senators were sworn into office. “From political division to a deadly pandemic to adversaries around the world, the hurdles before us are many and they are serious.” “But there’s also plenty of reason for hope,” McConnell added, saying that optimism is “one of our country’s most distinctive calling cards since our very earliest days. …