WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Elizabeth Warren is seeking to solidify her connection with African-American voters as she prepares to launch a potential presidential campaign amid criticism of her approach to race and identity.

The Massachusetts Democrat visited Morgan State University in Baltimore Friday, marking her third trip this year to a historically black college or university. It follows her widely panned October release of a DNA test meant to bolster her claim to Native American heritage. Her speech Friday offered an opportunity to regain her footing.

19 to Watch in 2019 highlights politicians, activists and operatives across the country who are positioned to play a critical role in the political landscape leading up to 2020. From the new generation reshaping the Democratic Party to the behind-the-scenes players who keep Congress moving and those with their eyes on the presidential election, these are the people to watch over the next 12 months.

Women and people of color led the Democrats to victory in several key races last week. What does that mean for 2020? (VIDEO)

By Aimee Allison

The numbers are in and the message is clear: women of color won the midterms. The significance of this victory is bigger than you think. Women of color beat Republicans to win congressional seats and sealed a Democratic majority in the House. The Democrats now have the ability to check Donald Trump. In addition to changing the face of power, women of color enter Congress with organizing chops and powerful visions for social justice.

A historic number of women of color are running for public office in today’s election. At least 255 women are on the ballot as congressional candidates, including a record number of women of color. In Georgia, Stacey Abrams hopes to become the state’s first black governor—and the country’s first black woman governor. Meanwhile in New Mexico, Deb Haaland could become the nation’s first Native American woman to serve in Congress. Amid a rash of racist ads by Abrams’s opponent Brian Kemp, there is something “deeply transformational about the electoral organizing and the campaign that Stacey Abrams represents,” says Aimee Allison, president of Democracy in Color and founder of She the People.

For many, the fight against Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation was about more than a seat on the Supreme Court. It was a test of how far the conversation about sexual violence has come in the year since survivors began raising their voices.

Kavanaugh vehemently denied the allegations. But supporters of #MeToo say the Senate's vote to confirm Kavanaugh showed just how little the institutions of the American government have been touched by the cultural shift taking place in other realms of society.

An ugly history repeated itself when a woman stood before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27 to testify that U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her 36 years ago.

Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University in California, said in her testimony that in 1982, Kavanaugh tried to force himself on her at a party in Maryland when they were both teenagers.

One out of every three women nominees for Congress this year — across parties — are women of color. Read that again. And again, and again. While each of these electoral wins have been "surprising," "startling," and even "shocking" to the white, male establishment, one out of every three is no anomaly. Our democracy should reflect our demography. This is what our democracy is supposed to look like.

Women of color are running in record numbers, voting in record numbers, and are now poised to make substantive change to the makeup of our political institutions. They are amongst the best political minds of this (and any) generation, and they have already changed the game in American politics. This is the new normal.