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United States Senate

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The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the House of Representatives.

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https://ballotpedia.org/List_of_United_States_Senators_from_STATE

119th Congress

Partisan breakdown

The following chart shows the partisan balance in the Senate.

Partisan composition, U.S. Senate
119th Congress
Party Members
Democratic 45
Republican 53
Independent 2[1]
Vacancies 0
Total 100


Leadership

See also: 119th United States Congress

Constitutionally mandated officers

  • President of the Senate: The vice president of the United States is also the president of the Senate. While they cannot normally vote on Senate matters, they preside over the Senate and act as a tie-breaker. They also receive and announce the tally of the electoral college vote for president and vice president before the Senate.[2]
  • President Pro Tempore: Fills in for the president of the Senate when they are absent. They are also the third in the line of succession for the presidency. In recent years the role has largely been given to popular senators from the majority party.[3]

Political leaders

  • Political leaders include the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader, as well as the Majority Whip and the Minority Whip.[4]

Elected Senate officers

  • The Chaplain: The Senate chaplain provides spiritual services and counseling to Senate members, family, and staff.[5]
  • Party Secretaries: Each party elects a party secretary to aid in communication of Senate business.[6]
  • The Secretary of the Senate: The secretary of the Senate performs a wide range of administrative duties, from record keeping, to procurement, and information technology.[7]
  • The Sergeant at Arms: The sergeant at arms is the chief law enforcement officer of the Senate. They hold the jurisdiction to take senators to the Senate Chamber to form a quorum, enforce Senate rules, and arrest the president of the United States if so ordered by the Senate. The sergeant at arms is in charge of maintaining security for the Senate Chamber, the Senate wing of the capital, and other Senate buildings. Finally, they keep the gavel used to start daily Senate business.[8]

Special elections

See also: Special elections to the 119th United States Congress (2025-2026)

Special elections will be held during the 119th Congress to replace members of Congress who leave office for any reason.

Senators

Portal:Legislative Branch

Members of the Senate are called senators. Each of the 50 states is given two Senate seats. Washington D.C. and territories, such as Puerto Rico and Guam, do not receive any delegates to the Senate.

Each senator serves for a six-year term. There are no term limits for senators.[9]

Qualifications

According to the U.S. Constitution, senators must meet the following requirements:[10]

  • At least 30 years old
  • A U.S. citizen for at least nine years
  • A resident of the state he or she represents

Additionally, all 50 states maintain requirements related to running for election. These filing requirements vary and can include:

  • A filing fee
  • A petition with a minimum number of valid signatures


“ Section. 3
Clause 1: The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote.
Clause 2: Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three Classes. The Seats of the Senators of the first Class shall be vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the second Class at the Expiration of the fourth Year, and of the third Class at the Expiration of the sixth Year, so that one third may be chosen every second Year; and if Vacancies happen by Resignation, or otherwise, during the Recess of the Legislature of any State, the Executive thereof may make temporary Appointments until the next Meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such Vacancies.
Clause 3: No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.
Clause 4: The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.
Clause 5: The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States.
Clause 6: The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.
Clause 7: Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.[11] 		”
—The U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 3

Committees

In 2025, there were 16 regular standing committees and four special committees in the U.S. Senate. There were also four joint committees with the U.S. House of Representatives. The committees are permanent panels governed by chamber rules, with responsibility to investigate, draft, and consider bills and issues.[12] Over time, the Senate may update the names and jurisdictions of standing committees to address evolving national issues.[12] Committee jurisdiction is prescribed by the Senate's standing rules, with specific topics dealt out to subcommittees.[13] The majority party of the chamber chairs and receives the most seats on committees, but senators are limited in the number of committees they may take part in.[13]

U.S. Senate


Joint committees


Elections

See also: Classes of United States Senators

Every two years, 33 or 34 seats in the U.S. Senate are up for election. Seats in the U.S. Senate for the purposes of determining the year of an election are defined as Class I, Class II, and Class III. Elections for these seats take place in this rotation:

  • 2024 and 2030: Class I
  • 2026 and 2032: Class II
  • 2022 and 2028: Class III

2024

See also: United States Senate elections, 2024
U.S. Senate Partisan Breakdown
Party As of November 5, 2024 After the 2024 Election
     Democratic Party
47[14]
45[15]
     Republican Party
49
53
     Independent
4[14]
2[15]
Total
100
100

Thirty-three of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate were up for regular election on Nov. 5, 2024. Of the 33 seats up for election, Democrats held 19, Republicans held 10, and independents held four. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies that occurred in the 118th Congress.

Heading into the elections, Democrats and independents who caucused with them had a 51-49 majority. Democrats won one independent-held seat, and Republicans won three Democratic-held seats and one independent-held seat. As a result, Republicans gained a 53-45 majority with two independents in the Senate. Both independents caucused with the Democratic Party.

Three incumbent senators—all Democrats—lost their re-election campaigns on Nov. 5, 2024.


General election results

Analysis articles leading up to the 2024 general elections

2022

See also: United States Senate elections, 2022
U.S. Senate Partisan Breakdown
Party As of November 8, 2022 After the 2022 Election
     Democratic Party 48[14] 48
     Republican Party 50 49
     Independent 2[14] 3
     Vacancies 0 0
Total 100 100

Thirty-four of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate were up for regular election on Nov. 8, 2022. Of the 34 seats up for election, Democrats held 14 and Republicans held 20. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies that occurred in the 117th Congress.

Heading into the elections, Democrats and independents who caucused with them had a 50-50 majority. The Democratic majority was due to the results of the 2020 presidential election, which empowered Vice President Kamala Harris (D) to cast a tie-breaking vote. Democrats won one Republican-held seat. As a result, Democrats retained a 48-49 majority' with three independents in the Senate.

No incumbent senators lost their re-election campaigns on Nov. 8, 2022.

2020

See also: United States Senate elections, 2020
U.S. Senate Partisan Breakdown
Party As of January 3, 2019 After the 2020 Election
     Democratic Party 45 48[14]
     Republican Party 53 50
     Independent 2 2[14]
     Vacancies 0 0
Total 100 100

Thirty-three of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate were up for regular election on Nov. 3, 2020. Of the 33 seats up for election, Democrats held 12 and Republicans held 21. A special election was also held to fill vacancies that occurred in the 116th Congress.

Heading into the elections, Republicans had a 53-45 majority with two independents who caucused with Democrats. Democrats won four Republican-held seats, and Republicans won one Democratic-held seat. As a result, Democrats and independents who caucused with them had a 50-50 majority. The Democratic majority was due to the results of the 2020 presidential election, which empowered Vice President Kamala Harris (D) to cast a tie-breaking vote.

Five incumbent senators—one Democrat and four Republicans—lost their re-election campaigns on Nov. 3, 2020.

2018

See also: United States Senate elections, 2018
U.S. Senate Partisan Breakdown
Party As of November 5, 2018 After the 2018 Election
     Democratic Party 47 45
     Republican Party 51 53
     Independent 2 2
     Vacancies 0 0
Total 100 100

Thirty-three of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate were up for regular election on Nov. 6, 2018. Of the 33 seats up for election, Democrats held 26, Republicans held nine, and independents held two.

Heading into the elections, Republicans had a 51-47 majority with two independents who caucused with Democrats. Democrats won two Republican-held seats, and Republicans won four Democratic-held seats. As a result, Republicans retained a 53-45 majority.

Five incumbent senators—four Democrats and one Republican—lost their re-election campaigns on Nov. 6, 2018.

2016

See also: United States Senate elections, 2016
U.S. Senate Partisan Breakdown
Party As of November 2016 After the 2016 Election
     Democratic Party 44 46
     Republican Party 54 52
     Independent 2 2
Total 100 100

Thirty-four of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate were up for regular election on Nov. 8, 2016. Of the 34 seats up for election, Democrats held 10 and Republicans held 24.

Heading into the elections, Republicans had a 54-44 majority with two independents who caucused with Democrats. Democrats won two Republican-held seats. As a result, Republicans retained a 52-46 majority with two independents in the Senate. Both independents caucused with the Democratic Party.

Two incumbent senators—both Republicans—lost their re-election campaigns on Nov. 8, 2016.

2014

See also: United States Senate elections, 2014
U.S. Senate Partisan Breakdown
Party As of 2014 Election After the 2014 Election
     Democratic Party 53 44
     Republican Party 45 54
     Independent 2 2
Total 100 100

Thirty-three of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate were up for regular election on Nov. 4, 2014. Of the 33 seats up for election, Democrats held 20 and Republicans held 13. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies that occurred in the 113th Congress.

Heading into the elections, Democrats had a 53-45 majority with two independents who caucused with Democrats. Republicans won seven Democratic-held seats. As a result, Republicans gained a 54-44 majority with two independents in the Senate. Both independents caucused with the Democratic Party.

Five incumbent senators—all Democrats—lost their re-election campaigns on Nov. 4, 2014.

2012

See also: U.S. Senate elections, 2012
U.S. Senate Partisan Breakdown
Party As of November 2012 After the 2012 Election
     Democratic Party 51 53
     Republican Party 47 45
     Independent 2 2
Total 100 100

Thirty-three of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate were up for regular election on Nov. 6, 2012. Of the 33 seats up for election, Democrats held 21, Republicans held 10, and independents held two.

Heading into the elections, Democrats had a 51-47 majority with two independents who caucused with Democrats. Democrats won two Republican-held seats, and an independent won a Republican-held seat. As a result, Democrats maintained a 53-45 majority with two independents in the Senate. Both independents caucused with the Democratic Party.

Two incumbent senators—both Republicans—lost their re-election campaigns on Nov. 6, 2012.

Analysis

Salary

As of 2025, most senators are paid $174,000 per year. Majority and minority leaders, as well as the president pro tempore, receive $193,400.[16]

Some historical facts about the salary of U.S. Senate members:

  • In 1789, members of the Senate received $6 per diem[16]
  • In 1874, members of the Senate earned $5,000 per year[16]
  • In 1990, members of the Senate earned $98,400 per year[16]
  • From 2000-2006, the salary of a member of the U.S. Senate increased every year, going from $141,300-$165,200 in that time span.[16]

Voting with the party

OpenCongress is a website that tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of their party caucus. In May 2014, there were 51 Democrats and 45 Republicans tracked.

Democrats:[17]

  • The average (mean) Democrat voted with the party approximately 95.0 percent of the team.
  • The average (median) Democrat voted with the party approximately 95.55 percent of the time.
  • The top Democrat voted with the party approximately 98.8 percent of the time.
  • The bottom Democrat voted with the party approximately 72.8 percent of the time.

Republicans:[18]

  • The average (both mean & median) Republican voted with the party approximately 86.8 percent of the team.
  • The top Republican voted with the party approximately 94.9 percent of the time.
  • The bottom Republican voted with the party approximately 62.7 percent of the time.


116th Congress: Demographics

In the 116th Congress, the House and Senate both set records for female representation. The House had 102 women, comprising 23 percent of the chamber’s voting members. The Senate had 25 women, the most female representation in Senate history.[19][20]

The 116th Congress also had the largest number of Blacks (55), Hispanics/Latin Americans (44), Asians/Pacific Islanders (15), and Native Americans (4), making up 22 percent of Congress. The 116th Congress also had 10 members who openly identified as LGBTQ.[21][20][22]

The 116th Congress was slightly more religiously diverse than the 115th Congress. Four hundred and seventy-one members identified as Christian, 34 as Jewish, three as Muslim, three as Hindu, two as Buddhist, two as Unitarian Universalist, one as unaffiliated, and 18 declined to specify a religious affiliation when polled by Pew Research Center.[23]

Current members

Partisan balance

Partisan composition, U.S. Senate
119th Congress
Party Members
Democratic 45
Republican 53
Independent 2[24]
Vacancies 0
Total 100

List of current U.S. Senate members


Office Name Party
U.S. Senate Alabama Katie Britt Republican
U.S. Senate Alabama Tommy Tuberville Republican
U.S. Senate Alaska Lisa Murkowski Republican
U.S. Senate Alaska Daniel S. Sullivan Republican
U.S. Senate Arizona Ruben Gallego Democratic
U.S. Senate Arizona Mark Kelly Democratic
U.S. Senate Arkansas John Boozman Republican
U.S. Senate Arkansas Tom Cotton Republican
U.S. Senate California Alex Padilla Democratic
U.S. Senate California Adam Schiff Democratic
U.S. Senate Colorado Michael Bennet Democratic
U.S. Senate Colorado John Hickenlooper Democratic
U.S. Senate Connecticut Richard Blumenthal Democratic
U.S. Senate Connecticut Christopher S. Murphy Democratic
U.S. Senate Delaware Lisa Blunt Rochester Democratic
U.S. Senate Delaware Chris Coons Democratic
U.S. Senate Florida Ashley B. Moody Republican
U.S. Senate Florida Rick Scott Republican
U.S. Senate Georgia Jon Ossoff Democratic
U.S. Senate Georgia Raphael Warnock Democratic
U.S. Senate Hawaii Mazie K. Hirono Democratic
U.S. Senate Hawaii Brian E. Schatz Democratic
U.S. Senate Idaho Mike Crapo Republican
U.S. Senate Idaho Jim Risch Republican
U.S. Senate Illinois Tammy Duckworth Democratic
U.S. Senate Illinois Dick Durbin Democratic
U.S. Senate Indiana Jim Banks Republican
U.S. Senate Indiana Todd C. Young Republican
U.S. Senate Iowa Joni Ernst Republican
U.S. Senate Iowa Chuck Grassley Republican
U.S. Senate Kansas Roger Marshall Republican
U.S. Senate Kansas Jerry Moran Republican
U.S. Senate Kentucky Mitch McConnell Republican
U.S. Senate Kentucky Rand Paul Republican
U.S. Senate Louisiana Bill Cassidy Republican
U.S. Senate Louisiana John Neely Kennedy Republican
U.S. Senate Maine Susan Collins Republican
U.S. Senate Maine Angus King Independent
U.S. Senate Maryland Angela Alsobrooks Democratic
U.S. Senate Maryland Chris Van Hollen Democratic
U.S. Senate Massachusetts Edward J. Markey Democratic
U.S. Senate Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren Democratic
U.S. Senate Michigan Gary Peters Democratic
U.S. Senate Michigan Elissa Slotkin Democratic
U.S. Senate Minnesota Amy Klobuchar Democratic
U.S. Senate Minnesota Tina Smith Democratic
U.S. Senate Mississippi Cindy Hyde-Smith Republican
U.S. Senate Mississippi Roger Wicker Republican
U.S. Senate Missouri Josh Hawley Republican
U.S. Senate Missouri Eric Schmitt Republican
U.S. Senate Montana Steve Daines Republican
U.S. Senate Montana Tim Sheehy Republican
U.S. Senate Nebraska Deb Fischer Republican
U.S. Senate Nebraska Pete Ricketts Republican
U.S. Senate Nevada Catherine Cortez Masto Democratic
U.S. Senate Nevada Jacky Rosen Democratic
U.S. Senate New Hampshire Maggie Hassan Democratic
U.S. Senate New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen Democratic
U.S. Senate New Jersey Cory Booker Democratic
U.S. Senate New Jersey Andrew Kim Democratic
U.S. Senate New Mexico Martin Heinrich Democratic
U.S. Senate New Mexico Ben Ray Luján Democratic
U.S. Senate New York Kirsten Gillibrand Democratic
U.S. Senate New York Chuck Schumer Democratic
U.S. Senate North Carolina Ted Budd Republican
U.S. Senate North Carolina Thom Tillis Republican
U.S. Senate North Dakota Kevin Cramer Republican
U.S. Senate North Dakota John Hoeven Republican
U.S. Senate Ohio Jon Husted Republican
U.S. Senate Ohio Bernie Moreno Republican
U.S. Senate Oklahoma James Lankford Republican
U.S. Senate Oklahoma Markwayne Mullin Republican
U.S. Senate Oregon Jeff Merkley Democratic
U.S. Senate Oregon Ron Wyden Democratic
U.S. Senate Pennsylvania John Fetterman Democratic
U.S. Senate Pennsylvania David McCormick Republican
U.S. Senate Rhode Island Jack Reed Democratic
U.S. Senate Rhode Island Sheldon Whitehouse Democratic
U.S. Senate South Carolina Lindsey Graham Republican
U.S. Senate South Carolina Tim Scott Republican
U.S. Senate South Dakota Mike Rounds Republican
U.S. Senate South Dakota John Thune Republican
U.S. Senate Tennessee Marsha Blackburn Republican
U.S. Senate Tennessee Bill Hagerty Republican
U.S. Senate Texas John Cornyn Republican
U.S. Senate Texas Ted Cruz Republican
U.S. Senate Utah John Curtis Republican
U.S. Senate Utah Mike Lee Republican
U.S. Senate Vermont Bernie Sanders Independent
U.S. Senate Vermont Peter Welch Democratic
U.S. Senate Virginia Tim Kaine Democratic
U.S. Senate Virginia Mark Warner Democratic
U.S. Senate Washington Maria Cantwell Democratic
U.S. Senate Washington Patty Murray Democratic
U.S. Senate West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito Republican
U.S. Senate West Virginia Jim Justice Republican
U.S. Senate Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin Democratic
U.S. Senate Wisconsin Ronald Harold Johnson Republican
U.S. Senate Wyoming John Barrasso Republican
U.S. Senate Wyoming Cynthia Lummis Republican


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Two independents caucus with the Democratic Party.
  2. ↑ The U.S. Senate, "Vice President of the United States (President of the Senate)," April 12, 2012
  3. ↑ The U.S. Senate, "President Pro Tempore," July 9, 2012
  4. ↑ The U.S. Senate, "Senate Organization Chart for the 112th Congress," April 12, 2012
  5. ↑ The U.S. Senate, "Senate Chaplain," April 12, 2012
  6. ↑ The U.S. Senate, "Party Secretaries," April 12, 2012
  7. ↑ The U.S. Senate, "Secretary of the Senate," April 12, 2012
  8. ↑ The U.S. Senate, "Sergeant At Arms," April 12, 2012
  9. ↑ The U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 3
  10. ↑ U.S. Senate Official Website, "Learn," April 12, 2012
  11. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 The U.S. Senate, "About the Senate Committee System," accessed April 15, 2025
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 United States Senate, "About the Committee System: Committees and Senate Rules," accessed April 15, 2025
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 Three independents caucused with the Democratic Party. Another independent, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, counted toward the Democratic majority for committee purposes. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "ind" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "ind" defined multiple times with different content
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Two independents caucus with the Democratic Party.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 U.S. Senate, "Salaries," accessed May 29, 2012
  17. ↑ OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," archived March 5, 2016
  18. ↑ OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," archived February 5, 2016
  19. ↑ Pew Research, "A record number of women will be serving in the new Congress," December 18, 2018
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Business Insider, "This one graphic shows how much more diverse the House of Representatives will become in January," December 16, 2018
  21. ↑ Politico, "Congress's incoming class is younger, bluer, and more diverse than ever," November 28, 2018
  22. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections presents our comprehensive guide to the 116th Congress members and districts," November 29, 2018
  23. ↑ Pew Research Center, "Faith on the Hill," January 3, 2019
  24. ↑ Two independents caucus with the Democratic Party.
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