In the Democrat-against-Democrat U.S. Senate race, state Attorney General Kamala Harris emerged as the victor over rival Rep. Loretta Sanchez Tuesday night. Harris will replace retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer. Boxer is a liberal icon who is stepping down after nearly a quarter century in the U.S. Senate. Previous story below: The Senate contest marked a generational and demographic shift in the state that is growing increasingly diverse in population and favorable for Democrats. The Democrats-only race marks the first time since voters started electing senators a century ago that Republicans will be absent from California’s general election ballot, reaffirming the GOP’s diminished stature in the state. Boxer, who turns 76 this week, will be replaced by one of two Baby Boomers. Harris, 52, could become the first Indian woman and the second black woman elected to the Senate. Harris’ father is Jamaican and her mother is from India. If 56-year-old Sanchez pulls off an upset, the daughter of Mexican immigrants could become one of the first Latinas to hold a U.S. Senate seat. The matchup between Harris and Sanchez is seen as a harbinger of things to come in the nation’s most populous state. Voters could increasingly find only two Democrats to pick from for top offices in November elections. Despite its historic dimension, the Harris vs. Sanchez contest was overshadowed by the race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and ignored by many voters, especially Republicans who ended up without a candidate. And as two Democrats they largely agree on many issues, including the need to fight climate change and protect abortion rights. The two Democrats emerged from a 34-candidate primary in June, in which only the top two vote-getters advanced to November. None of the Republicans managed to break out of single digits in voting. READ MORE: Sanchez flashes dance move during U.S. Senate debate Harris became the favorite of the Democratic establishment, winning endorsements from President Barack Obama, Gov. Jerry Brown, Boxer and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California. With Harris the pick of the party establishment, Sanchez became an outsider who openly sought Republican votes and criticized Obama for backing her rival.Their rivalry revolved around who was best suited for the job - a career prosecutor with liberal credentials who touted her experience fighting big banks and environmental criminals, or a 10-term member of the House known as a moderate, with experience in national security and military affairs.Sanchez struggled to raise money and was slowed by verbal flubs, at one point apologizing after a videotape surfaced showing her making a whooping cry in reference to Native Americans. Statewide turnout based on mail-in ballots appears to be running roughly equal to the 2012 presidential election, though large numbers of younger and Hispanic voters have yet to enter the mix, said Paul Mitchell of nonpartisan research firm Political Data Inc.The state witnessed a surge of newly registered younger and Hispanic voters this year, but they tend to be among the most unreliable on Election Day. Latinos make up about a quarter of registered voters, but so far comprise only about 15 percent of the returned mail ballots, according to the research firm.Over half of new voter registrations this year came from millennials - younger people who tend to be more liberal than older Californians.