Emmy Winner With Philly Roots Is Wife Of PA State Senator Vince Hughes

GREATER PHILADELPHIA, PA — One of Monday night's Emmy winners is an actress with strong Philly roots, and it has now come out that she also happens to be married to a powerful state senator from the Philadelphia region.

Sheryl Lee Ralph, whose portrayal of a kindergarten teacher on the popular sitcom Abbott Elementary, is married to Pennsylvania State Sen. Vincent Hughes, a Democrat representing parts of both Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties.

Ralph, who snagged the Outstanding Supporting Actress Emmy Award this week for her work on the show, is a longtime actress who has been married to Hughes since 2005.

Abbott Elementary is a fictitious school set somewhere in the City of Philadelphia. Its creator, Qunita Brunson, is a native of West Philadelphia.

Hughes represents a senatorial district that covers parts of West Philadelphia, North Philadelphia and Northwest Philadelphia, as well as the communities of Upper Dublin, Whitemarsh and Conshohocken in Montgomery County.

Hughes took to Twitter after the Emmy win to congratulate his wife on her accomplishment.

"Wow!" Hughes tweeted.

In a Philadelphia Inquirer article from February, Ralph said her love story with Hughes began 20 years ago when the senator gave her a small Pennsylvania almanac as a gift.

Today, both Ralph and Hughes are strong proponents of their native state.

"I was so fascinated that this man wanted me to know right off the get-go that, 'I am all about my state, and I love my city,'" Ralph was quoted as saying about Hughes in the Inquirer report.

Ralph also stated that her husband's mother, who is now nearly 100 years old, was partly the inspiration for her kindergarten teacher character on Abbott Elementary.

The senator's mom, Ann Hughes, was a retired school secretary for the School District of Philadelphia.

Read more about Monday's Emmy wins below.

Related: 'Abbott Elementary' Wins 2 Primetime Emmys, Bringing Gold To Philly