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Seniority in the United States Senate

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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.[1]

Benefits of seniority

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The United States Constitution does not mandate differences in rights or power, but Senate rules give more power to senators with more seniority. Generally, senior senators will have more power, especially within their own caucuses.

There are several benefits, including the following:

  • Traditionally, the most senior member of the majority party is named president pro tempore of the Senate.
  • Senators are given preferential treatment in choosing committee assignments based on seniority. Seniority on a committee is based on length of time serving on that committee, which means a senator may rank above another in committee seniority but be more junior in the full Senate. Although the committee chairmanship is an elected position, it is traditionally given to the most senior senator of the majority party serving on the committee, and not already holding a conflicting position such as chairmanship of another committee. The ranking member of a committee (called the vice-chairman in some select committees) is elected in the same way.
  • Greater seniority enables a senator to choose a desk closer to the front of the Senate Chamber.
  • Senators with higher seniority may choose to move into better office space as those offices are vacated.[2]
  • Seniority determines the ranking in the United States order of precedence.

Determining the beginning of a term

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The beginning of an appointment does not necessarily coincide with the date the Senate convenes or when the new senator is sworn in.[3]

General elections

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In the case of senators first elected in a general election for the upcoming Congress, their terms begin on the first day of the new Congress. For most of American history this was March 4 of odd-numbered years, but effective from 1935 the 20th Amendment moved this to January 3 of odd-numbered years.

Run-off elections and special elections

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In the case of senators elected in a run-off election occurring after the commencement of a new term, or a special election, their seniority date will be the date they are sworn in and not the first day of that Congress. A senator may be simultaneously elected to fill a term in a special election and elected to the six-year term which begins on the upcoming January 3. Their seniority is that of someone chosen in a special election.

Appointments

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The seniority date for an appointed senator is usually the date of the appointment,[citation needed] although the actual term does not begin until they take the oath of office. An incoming senator who holds another office, including membership in the U.S. House of Representatives, must resign from that office before becoming a senator. In the 1970s, some senators would resign a few days or weeks early so that their successor may be appointed to the seat and have greater seniority than other freshmen. In 1980, party rule changes removed seniority advantages in such cases.[4][3]

Determining length of seniority

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A senator's seniority is primarily determined by length of continuous service; for example, a senator who has served for 12 years is more senior than one who has served for 10 years. Because several new senators usually join at the beginning of a new Congress, seniority is determined by prior federal or state government service and, if necessary, the amount of time spent in the tiebreaking office. These tiebreakers in order are:[3]

  1. Former senator
  2. Former Vice President of the United States
  3. Former member of the United States House of Representatives
  4. Former member of the Cabinet of the United States
  5. Former state governor
  6. Population of state based on the most recent census when the senator took office

When more than one senator had such office, its length of time is used to break the tie. For instance, Jerry Moran, John Boozman, John Hoeven, Marco Rubio, Ron Johnson, Rand Paul, Richard Blumenthal, and Mike Lee all took office on January 3, 2011. The first two senators mentioned had served in the House of Representatives: Moran had served for 14 years and Boozman for nine. As a former governor, Hoeven was ranked immediately after the former House members. The rest were ranked by population as of the 2000 census. These ranked from 36th to 43rd in seniority when the 118th United States Congress convened.

If two senators are tied on all criteria, the one whose surname comes first alphabetically is considered the senior senator. This happened with Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, both of Georgia, who were sworn in on January 20, 2021. Because they were both newly elected senators from the same state, with no prior government service, no other tie-breaking criteria could be used. The Senate's official records, as well as the Democratic Caucus, thus consider Ossoff, whose name comes first alphabetically and elected to a full six-year term, as the senior senator.[3][5][6]

Current seniority list

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Only relevant factors are listed below. For senators whose seniority is based on their state's respective population, the state population ranking is given as determined by the relevant United States census current at the time that they began service.[7][8]

  Republican (52)       Democratic (45)       Independent (2)


Current
rank
Historical
rank[a][3]
Senator Party State Seniority date Other factors Committee and
leadership positions
1 1743 Chuck Grassley Republican Iowa January 3, 1981 President pro tempore
Chair: Judiciary
2 1766 Mitch McConnell Kentucky January 3, 1985 Chair: Rules
3 1810 Patty Murray Democratic Washington January 3, 1993 President pro tempore emerita
Ranking Member: Appropriations
4 1827 Ron Wyden Oregon February 6, 1996 Ranking Member: Finance
5 1831 Dick Durbin Illinois January 3, 1997 Former House member (14 years) Senate Minority Whip
Ranking Member: Judiciary
6 1835 Jack Reed Rhode Island Former House member (6 years) Ranking Member: Armed Services
7 1842 Susan Collins Republican Maine Chair: Appropriations
8 1844 Chuck Schumer Democratic New York January 3, 1999 Former House member (18 years) Senate Minority Leader
9 1846 Mike Crapo Republican Idaho Former House member (6 years) Republican Chief Deputy Whip
Chair: Finance
10 1859 Maria Cantwell[b] Democratic Washington January 3, 2001 Ranking Member: Commerce
11 1867 John Cornyn Republican Texas December 2, 2002
12 1868 Lisa Murkowski Alaska December 20, 2002[c] Chair: Indian Affairs
13 1870 Lindsey Graham South Carolina January 3, 2003 Chair: Budget
14 1879 John Thune South Dakota January 3, 2005 Senate Majority Leader
15 1887 Bernie Sanders Independent Vermont January 3, 2007 Former House member (16 years) Chair: Democratic Outreach Committee
Ranking Member: HELP
16 1893 Amy Klobuchar Democratic Minnesota Minnesota 21st in population (2000) Chair: Democratic Steering Committee
Ranking Member: Agriculture
17 1894 Sheldon Whitehouse Rhode Island Rhode Island 43rd in population (2000) Chair: Environment
18 1896 John Barrasso Republican Wyoming June 22, 2007[c] Senate Majority Whip
19 1897 Roger Wicker Mississippi December 31, 2007[c] Chair: Armed Services
20 1901 Jeanne Shaheen Democratic New Hampshire January 3, 2009 Former governor (6 years) Ranking Member: Foreign Relations
21 1902 Mark Warner Virginia Former governor (4 years) Vice Chair: Democratic Caucus
Vice Chair: Intelligence
22 1903 Jim Risch Republican Idaho Former governor (7 months) Chair: Foreign Relations
23 1905 Jeff Merkley Democratic Oregon Ranking Member: Budget
24 1909 Michael Bennet Colorado January 21, 2009[c]
25 1910 Kirsten Gillibrand New York January 26, 2009[c] Ranking Member: Aging
26 1917 Chris Coons Delaware November 15, 2010 Vice Chair: Ethics
27 1920 Jerry Moran Republican Kansas January 3, 2011 Former House member (14 years) Chair: Veterans' Affairs
28 1922 John Boozman Arkansas Former House member (9 years) Chair: Agriculture
29 1924 John Hoeven North Dakota Former governor
30 1925 Marco Rubio Florida Florida 4th in population (2000)
31 1926 Ron Johnson Wisconsin Wisconsin 20th in population (2000)
32 1927 Rand Paul Kentucky Kentucky 25th in population (2000) Chair: Homeland Security
33 1928 Richard Blumenthal Democratic Connecticut Connecticut 29th in population (2000) Ranking Member: Veterans' Affairs
34 1929 Mike Lee Republican Utah Utah 34th in population (2000) Chair: Republican Steering Committee
Chair: Energy
35 1932 Brian Schatz Democratic Hawaii December 26, 2012[c] Democratic Chief Deputy Whip
Deputy Secretary: Democratic Caucus
Vice Chair: Indian Affairs
36 1933 Tim Scott Republican South Carolina January 2, 2013[c] Chair: NRSC
Chair: Banking
37 1934 Tammy Baldwin Democratic Wisconsin January 3, 2013 Former House member (14 years) Secretary: Democratic Caucus
38 1937 Chris Murphy Connecticut Former House member (6 years);
Connecticut 29th in population (2010)
Deputy Secretary: Democratic Caucus
39 1938 Mazie Hirono Hawaii Former House member (6 years);
Hawaii 40th in population (2010)
40 1939 Martin Heinrich New Mexico Former House member (4 years) Ranking Member: Energy
41 1940 Angus King Independent Maine Former governor (8 years)
42 1941 Tim Kaine Democratic Virginia Former governor (4 years)
43 1942 Ted Cruz Republican Texas Texas 2nd in population (2010) Chair: Commerce
44 1943 Elizabeth Warren Democratic Massachusetts Massachusetts 14th in population (2010) Vice Chair: Democratic Caucus
Ranking Member: Banking
45 1944 Deb Fischer Republican Nebraska Nebraska 38th in population (2010)
46 1948 Ed Markey Democratic Massachusetts July 16, 2013 Ranking Member: Small Business
47 1949 Cory Booker New Jersey October 31, 2013 Chair: Democratic Strategic Communications Committee
48 1951 Shelley Moore Capito Republican West Virginia January 3, 2015 Former House member (14 years) Chair: Republican Policy Committee
Chair: Environment
49 1952 Gary Peters Democratic Michigan Former House member (6 years);
Michigan 8th in population (2010)
Ranking Member: Homeland Security
50 1953 Bill Cassidy Republican Louisiana Former House member (6 years);
Louisiana 25th in population (2010)
Chair: HELP
51 1955 James Lankford Oklahoma Former House member (4 years) Vice Chair: Republican Conference
Chair: Ethics
52 1956 Tom Cotton Arkansas Former House member (2 years);
Arkansas 32nd in population (2010)
Chair: Republican Conference
Chair: Intelligence
53 1957 Steve Daines Montana Former House member (2 years);
Montana 44th in population (2010)
54 1958 Mike Rounds South Dakota Former governor
55 1960 Thom Tillis North Carolina North Carolina 10th in population (2010)
56 1961 Joni Ernst Iowa Iowa 30th in population (2010) Chair: Small Business
57 1963 Dan Sullivan Alaska Alaska 47th in population (2010)
58 1964 Chris Van Hollen Democratic Maryland January 3, 2017 Former House member (14 years)
59 1965 Todd Young Republican Indiana Former House member (6 years)
60 1966 Tammy Duckworth Democratic Illinois Former House member (4 years)
61 1967 Maggie Hassan New Hampshire Former governor
62 1969 John Kennedy Republican Louisiana Louisiana 25th in population (2010)
63 1970 Catherine Cortez Masto Democratic Nevada Nevada 35th in population (2010) Vice Chair: Democratic Outreach Committee
64 1972 Tina Smith Minnesota January 3, 2018[c]
65 1974 Cindy Hyde-Smith Republican Mississippi April 2, 2018[c]
66 1975 Marsha Blackburn Tennessee January 3, 2019 Former House member (16 years)
67 1977 Kevin Cramer North Dakota Former House member (6 years)
68 1979 Jacky Rosen Democratic Nevada Former House member (2 years)
69 1982 Josh Hawley Republican Missouri
70 1983 Rick Scott Florida January 8, 2019 Chair: Aging
71 1985 Mark Kelly Democratic Arizona December 2, 2020
72 1986 Ben Ray Luján New Mexico January 3, 2021 Former House member (12 years)
73 1987 Cynthia Lummis Republican Wyoming Former House member (8 years)
74 1988 Roger Marshall Kansas Former House member (4 years)
75 1989 John Hickenlooper Democratic Colorado Former governor
76 1990 Bill Hagerty Republican Tennessee Tennessee 17th in population (2010)
77 1991 Tommy Tuberville Alabama Alabama 23rd in population (2010)
78 1992 Alex Padilla Democratic California January 18, 2021[c] Ranking Member: Rules
79 1993 Jon Ossoff Georgia January 20, 2021 'O' 15th letter of the alphabet[9]
80 1994 Raphael Warnock 'W' 23rd letter of the alphabet[9]
81 1995 Peter Welch Vermont January 3, 2023 Former House member (16 years)
82 1996 Markwayne Mullin Republican Oklahoma Former House member (10 years)
83 1997 Ted Budd North Carolina Former House member (6 years)
84 1998 John Fetterman Democratic Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 5th in population (2020)
85 1999 JD Vance[d] Republican Ohio Ohio 7th in population (2020)
86 2000 Eric Schmitt Missouri Missouri 19th in population (2020)
87 2001 Katie Britt Alabama Alabama 24th in population (2020)
88 2002 Pete Ricketts Nebraska January 12, 2023[c]
89 2005 Adam Schiff Democratic California December 8, 2024[c] Former House member (24 years)
90 2006 Andy Kim New Jersey Former House member (6 years)
91 2007 Ruben Gallego Arizona January 3, 2025 Former House member (10 years)
92 2008 Jim Banks Republican Indiana Former House member (8 years);
Indiana 17th in population (2020)
93 2009 Lisa Blunt Rochester Democratic Delaware Former House member (8 years);
Delaware 46th in population (2020)
94 2010 John Curtis Republican Utah Former House member (7 years)
95 2011 Elissa Slotkin Democratic Michigan Former House member (6 years)
96 2012 David McCormick Republican Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 5th in population (2020)
97 2013 Bernie Moreno Ohio Ohio 7th in population (2020)
98 2014 Angela Alsobrooks Democratic Maryland Maryland 18th in population (2020)
99 2015 Tim Sheehy Republican Montana Montana 44th in population (2020)
Rank Historical
rank[a][3]
Senator Party State Seniority date Other factors Committee and leadership positions


See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b "Historical rank" refers to the Senator's seniority over the entire history of the Senate since 1789. This is an absolute number that does not change from one Congress to the next.
  2. ^ Maria Cantwell (#10) is the Senate's most senior junior senator.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l The seniority date for an appointed senator is the date of the appointment, not necessarily the date of taking the oath of office. See Determining the beginning of a term, above.
  4. ^ JD Vance (#85) is the Senate's most junior senior senator.

References

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  1. ^ Kilgore, Ed (November 17, 2021). "Californians Move Toward Lock on Presidential Succession". Intelligencer. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  2. ^ Saksa, Jim (December 2, 2022). "Halls of power(ball): New House members pick their offices via lottery". Roll Call. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Senators of the United States 1789–present, A chronological list of senators since the First Congress in 1789" (PDF). Senate Historical Office. January 3, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  4. ^ "Levin wins seniority rules change". The Muskegon Chronicle. December 7, 1980.
  5. ^ Bluestein, Greg. "'A new era': Ossoff, Warnock sworn into office, giving Democrats control of U.S. Senate". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  6. ^ "Why Jon Ossoff will be Georgia's senior U.S. Senator". 11Alive.com. January 20, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  7. ^ American FactFinder, United States Census Bureau. "2000 Census State Population Rankings". Factfinder.census.gov. Archived from the original on April 3, 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  8. ^ "Resident Population Data (Text Version) – 2010 Census, by state and census region".
  9. ^ a b Wooten, Nick (January 20, 2021). "Will Ossoff or Warnock be Georgia's senior senator? The answer is a simple one". Ledger-Enquirer. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.