List of United States senators in the 117th Congress

Last updated

This is a complete list of United States senators during the 117th United States Congress listed by seniority, from January 3, 2021, to January 3, 2023. It is a historical listing and will contain people who have not served the entire two-year Congress should anyone resign, die, or be expelled.

Contents

In this Congress, the most junior senior senator was Kelly Loeffler until Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock were sworn in on January 20, 2021, after which Ossoff became the most junior senior senator. The most senior junior senator is Maria Cantwell.

Order of service is based on the commencement of the senator's first term. Behind this is former service as a senator (only giving the senator seniority within his or her new incoming class), service as vice president, a House member, a cabinet secretary, or a governor of a state. The final factors are the population of the senator's state and the alphabetical position of the senator's surname. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Terms of service

ClassTerms of service of senators that expired or will expire in years
Class 3Terms of service of senators that expired in 2023 (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.) [6]
Class 1Terms of service of senators that will expire in 2025 (Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.) [7]
Class 2Terms of service of senators that will expire in 2027 (Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.) [8]

U.S. Senate seniority list

RankHistorical
rank
SenatorPartyStateSeniority dateOther factors
11692 Patrick Leahy Democratic Vermont January 3, 1975 
21743 Chuck Grassley Republican Iowa January 3, 1981
31766 Mitch McConnell Republican Kentucky January 3, 1985 
41775 Richard Shelby Republican Alabama January 3, 1987
51801 Dianne Feinstein Democratic California November 10, 1992 
61812 Patty Murray Democratic Washington January 3, 1993 
71816 Jim Inhofe Republican Oklahoma November 17, 1994
81827 Ron Wyden Democratic Oregon February 6, 1996
91831 Dick Durbin Democratic Illinois January 3, 1997Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (14 years)
101835 Jack Reed Democratic Rhode Island Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (6 years)
111842 Susan Collins Republican Maine  
121844 Chuck Schumer Democratic New York January 3, 1999Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (18 years)
131846 Mike Crapo Republican Idaho Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (6 years)
141855 Tom Carper Democratic Delaware January 3, 2001Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (10 years)
151856 Debbie Stabenow Democratic Michigan Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (4 years)
161859 Maria Cantwell [9] Democratic Washington Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (2 years)
171867 John Cornyn Republican Texas December 1, 2002 
181868 Lisa Murkowski Republican Alaska December 20, 2002 
191870 Lindsey Graham Republican South Carolina January 3, 2003
201876 Richard Burr Republican North Carolina January 3, 2005Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (10 years)
211879 John Thune Republican South Dakota Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (6 years)
221885 Bob Menendez Democratic New Jersey January 18, 2006
231886 Ben Cardin Democratic Maryland January 3, 2007Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (20 years)
241887 Bernie Sanders Independent [10] Vermont Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (16 years)
251888 Sherrod Brown Democratic Ohio Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (14 years)
261889 Bob Casey, Jr. Democratic Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 6th in population (2000)
271893 Amy Klobuchar Democratic Minnesota Minnesota 21st in population (2000)
281894 Sheldon Whitehouse Democratic Rhode Island Rhode Island 43rd in population (2000)
291895 Jon Tester Democratic Montana Montana 44th in population (2000)
301896 John Barrasso Republican Wyoming June 25, 2007 
311897 Roger Wicker Republican Mississippi December 31, 2007
321901 Jeanne Shaheen Democratic New Hampshire January 3, 2009Former governor (6 years)
331902 Mark Warner Democratic Virginia Former governor (4 years)
341903 Jim Risch Republican Idaho Former governor (7 months)
351905 Jeff Merkley Democratic Oregon  
361909 Michael Bennet Democratic Colorado January 21, 2009 
371910 Kirsten Gillibrand Democratic New York January 26, 2009
381916 Joe Manchin Democratic West Virginia November 15, 2010Former governor
391917 Chris Coons Democratic Delaware  
401919 Roy Blunt Republican Missouri January 3, 2011Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (14 years); Missouri 17th in population (2000)
411920 Jerry Moran Republican Kansas Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (14 years); Kansas 32nd in population (2000)
421921 Rob Portman Republican Ohio Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (12 years)
431922 John Boozman Republican Arkansas Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (9 years)
441923 Pat Toomey Republican Pennsylvania Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (6 years)
451924 John Hoeven Republican North Dakota Former governor
461925 Marco Rubio Republican Florida Florida 4th in population (2000)
471926 Ron Johnson Republican Wisconsin Wisconsin 18th in population (2000)
481927 Rand Paul Republican Kentucky Kentucky 25th in population (2000)
491928 Richard Blumenthal Democratic Connecticut Connecticut 29th in population (2000)
501929 Mike Lee Republican Utah Utah 34th in population (2000)
511932 Brian Schatz Democratic Hawaii December 27, 2012 
521933 Tim Scott Republican South Carolina January 2, 2013
531934 Tammy Baldwin Democratic Wisconsin January 3, 2013Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (14 years)
541937 Chris Murphy Democratic Connecticut Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (6 years); Connecticut 29th in population (2010)
551938 Mazie Hirono Democratic Hawaii Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (6 years); Hawaii 42nd in population (2010)
561939 Martin Heinrich Democratic New Mexico Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (4 years)
571940 Angus King Independent Maine Former governor (8 years)
581941 Tim Kaine Democratic Virginia Former governor (4 years)
591942 Ted Cruz Republican Texas Texas 2nd in population (2010)
601943 Elizabeth Warren Democratic Massachusetts Massachusetts 15th in population (2010)
611944 Deb Fischer Republican Nebraska Nebraska 38th in population (2010)
621948 Ed Markey Democratic Massachusetts July 16, 2013
631949 Cory Booker Democratic New Jersey October 31, 2013 
641951 Shelley Moore Capito Republican West Virginia January 3, 2015Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (14 years)
651952 Gary Peters Democratic Michigan Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (6 years); Michigan 9th in population (2010)
661953 Bill Cassidy Republican Louisiana Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (6 years); Louisiana 25th in population (2010)
671955 James Lankford Republican Oklahoma Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (4 years)
681956 Tom Cotton Republican Arkansas Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (2 years); Arkansas 32nd in population (2010)
691957 Steve Daines Republican Montana Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (2 years); Montana 44th in population (2010)
701958 Mike Rounds Republican South Dakota Former governor
711960 Thom Tillis Republican North Carolina North Carolina 10th in population (2010)
721961 Joni Ernst Republican Iowa Iowa 30th in population (2010)
731962 Ben Sasse Republican Nebraska Nebraska 38th in population (2010)
741963 Dan Sullivan Republican Alaska Alaska 47th in population (2010)
751964 Chris Van Hollen Democratic Maryland January 3, 2017Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (14 years)
761965 Todd Young Republican Indiana Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (6 years)
771966 Tammy Duckworth Democratic Illinois Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (4 years)
781967 Maggie Hassan Democratic New Hampshire Former governor
791968 Kamala Harris [11] Democratic California California 1st in population (2010)
801969 John Neely Kennedy Republican Louisiana Louisiana 25th in population (2010)
811970 Catherine Cortez Masto Democratic Nevada Nevada 35th in population (2010)
821972 Tina Smith Democratic Minnesota January 3, 2018 
831974 Cindy Hyde-Smith Republican Mississippi April 2, 2018 
841975 Marsha Blackburn Republican Tennessee January 3, 2019Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (16 years)
851976 Kyrsten Sinema Democratic Arizona Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (6 years); Arizona 16th in population (2010)
861977 Kevin Cramer Republican North Dakota Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (6 years); North Dakota 48th in population (2010)
871979 Jacky Rosen Democratic Nevada Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (2 years)
881980 Mitt Romney Republican Utah Former governor
891981 Mike Braun Republican Indiana Indiana 15th in population (2010)
901982 Josh Hawley Republican Missouri Missouri 18th in population (2010)
911983 Rick Scott Republican Florida January 8, 2019
921984 Kelly Loeffler [12] Republican Georgia January 6, 2020 
931985 Mark Kelly Democratic Arizona December 2, 2020 
941986 Ben Ray Luján Democratic New Mexico January 3, 2021Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (12 years)
951987 Cynthia Lummis Republican Wyoming Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (8 years)
961988 Roger Marshall Republican Kansas Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (4 years)
971989 John Hickenlooper Democratic Colorado Former governor
981990 Bill Hagerty Republican Tennessee Tennessee 17th in population (2010)
991991 Tommy Tuberville Republican Alabama Alabama 23rd in population (2010)
1001992 Alex Padilla [11] [a] Democratic California January 20, 2021California 1st in population (2010)
1011993 Jon Ossoff [14] Democratic Georgia Georgia 9th in population (2010); 'O' 15th letter of the alphabet
1021994 Raphael Warnock [12] Democratic Georgia Georgia 9th in population (2010); 'W' 23rd letter of the alphabet

See also

Notes

  1. Alex Padilla was appointed to the Senate by California Governor Gavin Newsom on January 18, [13] but despite being an appointed senator, his seniority date is based on January 20.

Related Research Articles

United States senators are conventionally ranked by the length of their tenure in the Senate. The senator in each U.S. state with the longer time in office is known as the senior senator; the other is the junior senator. This convention has no official standing, though seniority confers several benefits, including preference in the choice of committee assignments and physical offices. When senators have been in office for the same length of time, a number of tiebreakers, including previous offices held, are used to determine seniority. By tradition, the longest serving senator of the majority party is named president pro tempore of the Senate, the second-highest office in the Senate and the third in the line of succession to the presidency of the United States.

References

  1. A Chronological List of United States Senators 1789–Present, via www.senate.gov
  2. 1971 U.S Census Report Contains 1970 Census results.
  3. 1981 U.S Census Report Contains 1980 Census results.
  4. 1991 U.S Census Report Contains 1990 Census results.
  5. "2000 Census State Population Rankings". Archived from the original on 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
  6. Terms of service of senators that expire in 2023.
  7. Terms of service of senators that will expire in 2025.
  8. Terms of service of senators that will expire in 2027.
  9. Cantwell is the Senate's most senior junior senator.
  10. Although Sanders was a candidate for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, and votes with the Democrats for organizational purposes, he has been elected and classified as an Independent throughout his time in Congress.
  11. 1 2 In California, Kamala Harris (D) resigned January 18, 2021. She was replaced by Alex Padilla (D), who was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom.
  12. 1 2 In Georgia, Kelly Loeffler (R) was replaced by Raphael Warnock (D), who won the Jan. 5, 2021 special election runoff to complete Johnny Isakson's term.
  13. "Governor Newsom Formally Appoints Alex Padilla to the U.S. Senate and Nominates Dr. Shirley Weber as Secretary of State". 18 January 2021.
  14. Ossoff is the Senate's most junior senior senator.