United States Senate
TheUnited States Senate is one of thetwo chambers of theUnited States Congress; the other is theHouse of Representatives.
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 theMajority Leader and theMinority Leader, as well as theMajority Whip and theMinority 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 thepresident 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
Special elections will be held during the119th Congress to replace members of Congress who leave office for any reason.
Senators
Members of the Senate are calledsenators. 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 noterm limits for senators.[9]
Qualifications
According to theU.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 thePresident 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
- Committee on Aging (Special)
- Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
- Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Committee on Environment and Public Works
- Committee on Ethics (Select)
- Committee on Finance
- Committee on Foreign Relations
- Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
- Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
- Committee on Indian Affairs
- Committee on Intelligence (Select)
- Committee on Rules and Administration
- Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
- Committee on the Judiciary
- Senate Committee on Appropriations
- Senate Committee on Armed Services
- Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs
- Senate Committee on the Budget
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
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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 the118th Congress.
Heading into the elections, Democrats and independents who caucused with them had a51-49 majority. Democrats won one independent-held seat, and Republicans won three Democratic-held seats and one independent-held seat. As a result, Republicans gained a53-45 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
- Election results, 2024: U.S. Congress
- Election results, 2024: U.S. Senate
- Election results, 2024: Comparison of state delegations to the 118th and 119th Congresses
- Election results, 2024: Congressional elections decided by 10 percentage points or fewer
- Election results, 2024: Congressional margin of victory analysis
- Election results, 2024: Minor party candidates who won more than the margin of victory
- Election results, 2024: New members elected to Congress
- Election results, 2024: Results of elected officials seeking other offices
- Election results, 2024: Wave elections
- Mixed-party election outcomes in presidential election years, 1916-2024
Analysis articles leading up to the 2024 general elections
- United States Congress elections, 2024
- United States Senate elections, 2024
- Annual Congressional Competitiveness Report, 2024
- Ballotpedia's Top 15 Elections to Watch, 2024
- Congressional retirements by month, 2011-2025
- Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
- List of congressional candidates in the 2024 elections
- List of congressional challengers in the 2024 elections
- List of U.S. Congress incumbents who are not running for re-election in 2024
- National Republican Senatorial Committee
- Number of Democratic and Republican candidates on the ballot for federal and state offices, 2024
- Party committee fundraising, 2023-2024
- Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024
- Special elections to the 118th United States Congress (2023-2024)
- States won by Donald Trump in 2020 with Democratic-held U.S. Senate seats up for election in 2024
- States won by Joe Biden in 2020 with Republican-held U.S. Senate seats up for election in 2024
- U.S. Congress special elections historical data, 1987-2024
- U.S. Senate battleground primaries, 2024
- U.S. Senate battlegrounds, 2024
- United States Senate Democratic Party primaries, 2024
- United States Senate Republican Party primaries, 2024
2022
- See also:United States Senate elections, 2022
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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 the117th Congress.
Heading into the elections, Democrats and independents who caucused with them had a50-50 majority. The Democratic majority was due to the results of the 2020 presidential election, which empowered Vice PresidentKamala Harris (D) to cast a tie-breaking vote. Democrats won one Republican-held seat. As a result, Democrats retained a48-49 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
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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. Aspecial election was also held to fill vacancies that occurred in the116th Congress.
Heading into the elections, Republicans had a53-45 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 a50-50 majority. The Democratic majority was due to the results of the 2020 presidential election, which empowered Vice PresidentKamala 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
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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 a51-47 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 a53-45 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
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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 a54-44 majority with two independents who caucused with Democrats. Democrats won two Republican-held seats. As a result, Republicans retained a52-46 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
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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 the113th Congress.
Heading into the elections, Democrats had a53-45 majority with two independents who caucused with Democrats. Republicans won seven Democratic-held seats. As a result, Republicans gained a54-44 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
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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 a51-47 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 a53-45 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 the115th 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
See also
- United States Congress
- United States House of Representatives
- 119th Congress
- United States Congress elections, 2024
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2024
- United States Senate elections, 2024
- United States Congress elections, 2026
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2026
- United States Senate elections, 2026
External links
Footnotes
- ↑Two independents caucus with the Democratic Party.
- ↑The U.S. Senate, "Vice President of the United States (President of the Senate)," April 12, 2012
- ↑The U.S. Senate, "President Pro Tempore," July 9, 2012
- ↑The U.S. Senate, "Senate Organization Chart for the 112th Congress," April 12, 2012
- ↑The U.S. Senate, "Senate Chaplain," April 12, 2012
- ↑The U.S. Senate, "Party Secretaries," April 12, 2012
- ↑The U.S. Senate, "Secretary of the Senate," April 12, 2012
- ↑The U.S. Senate, "Sergeant At Arms," April 12, 2012
- ↑The U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 3
- ↑U.S. Senate Official Website, "Learn," April 12, 2012
- ↑Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑12.012.1The U.S. Senate, "About the Senate Committee System," accessed April 15, 2025
- ↑13.013.1United States Senate, "About the Committee System: Committees and Senate Rules," accessed April 15, 2025
- ↑14.014.114.214.314.414.5Three 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 contentCite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "ind" defined multiple times with different content - ↑15.015.1Two independents caucus with the Democratic Party.
- ↑16.016.116.216.316.4U.S. Senate, "Salaries," accessed May 29, 2012
- ↑OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," archived March 5, 2016
- ↑OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," archived February 5, 2016
- ↑Pew Research, "A record number of women will be serving in the new Congress," December 18, 2018
- ↑20.020.1Business Insider, "This one graphic shows how much more diverse the House of Representatives will become in January," December 16, 2018
- ↑Politico, "Congress's incoming class is younger, bluer, and more diverse than ever," November 28, 2018
- ↑Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections presents our comprehensive guide to the 116th Congress members and districts," November 29, 2018
- ↑Pew Research Center, "Faith on the Hill," January 3, 2019
- ↑Two independents caucus with the Democratic Party.