Janice Hahn Sworn In to Congress

One week after winning a runoff election, former Los Angeles City Councilwoman , a Democrat, was sworn in Tuesday morning as the representative of the 36th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

House Speaker John Boehner administered the oath at about 11:20 a.m. Pacific time in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol.

"It is wonderful to be here today representing the 36th Congressional District in California," Hahn told the representatives after her swearing-in, which was broadcast live on C-SPAN. She added that she was "honored and thankful" for the opportunity to serve.

In her brief speech, Hahn recognized the influence of both her mother, , and her father on her political career.

She got her "political courage" from her father, who was the only Los Angeles councilman to greet Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. during a visit to the city, she said.

"Our dad taught us that serving others is more than a job—it's a calling," Hahn said. "It requires honesty, hard work and, most of all, courage to do the right thing."

During his introduction of Hahn, Rep. Pete Stark, a Democrat representing California's 13th District, listed the new representative's accomplishments, including her fight for strong diesel truck emissions standards at the Port of Los Angeles.

"As a United States Congressman, Janice will surely add more victories to her already long list of accomplishments," he said.

"I am going to work hard every day to create more good jobs, get our economy back on track, bring our troops home from wars abroad and fight to protect Medicare and Social Security," Hahn wrote in an email to her supporters.

With 54.46 percent of the vote, Hahn defeated Republican businessman Craig Huey in . In the primary, she defeated fellow Democrats Debra Bowen and Marcy Winograd, as well as Hermosa Beach City Councilman Kit Bobko, a Republican.

The special election was held after then-Rep. Jane Harman  at the end of February to head the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

"Jane will be missed, but we welcome Janice to Congress where she will undoubtedly serve as a powerful champion for her constituents," Stark said.

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