This is a list of Buddhist members of the United States Congress .
As of 2025 [update] , only four Buddhists have ever been elected to Congress, the first being both Mazie Hirono and Hank Johnson in 2007. As of the 119th Congress two Buddhists currently serve in the House of Representatives and one Buddhist in the Senate.
Senator | Party | State | Term | Notes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Start | End | Length of service | ||||||
Mazie Hirono | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 2013 | Incumbent | 12 years, 25 days | First Buddhist senator [1] [2] | ||
Representative | Party | District | Term | Notes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Start | End | Length of service | ||||||
Mazie Hirono | Democratic | HI-02 | January 3, 2007 | January 3, 2013 | 6 years, 0 days | One of the first two Buddhists in Congress. Retired to run successfully for U.S. Senator from Hawaii. [1] [2] | ||
Hank Johnson | Democratic | GA-04 | January 3, 2007 | Incumbent | 18 years, 25 days | One of the first two Buddhists in Congress [3] | ||
Colleen Hanabusa | Democratic | HI-01 | January 3, 2011 | January 3, 2015 | 4 years, 0 days | Retired to run unsuccessfully for U.S. Senator from Hawaii. [4] | ||
November 14, 2016 | January 3, 2019 | 2 years, 50 days | Elected in special election to succeed Mark Takai, who died in office Retired to run unsuccessfully for governor of Hawaii | |||||
Derek Tran | Democratic | CA-45 | January 3, 2025 | Incumbent | 25 days | [5] |
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The number of Buddhists in Congress fell from three to two, as Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, D-Hawaii, lost her bid for a Senate seat.