Congress

short readAug 6, 2026

Darline Graham, accompanied by her husband, Larry Nordone, is sworn in as U.S. senator by Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley of Iowa on July 14. Graham was appointed by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster following the death of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The U.S. Senate has had 43 appointed members since 1990, and 27 of them (63%) have run to keep their seat.

short readOct 1, 2025

Congress has passed all its required appropriations measures on time only four times in nearly five decades.

reportJan 2, 2025

Members of the incoming 119th Congress will be sworn in at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 3, 2025. (Cynthia Johnson/Getty Images)

Christians will make up 87% of voting members in the Senate and House of Representatives, combined, in the 2025-27 congressional session.

All

Congress

Publications

Filtered by:

Refine Your Results

short readsJul 24, 2014

Voter turnout always drops off for midterm elections, but why?

Voter turnout, no matter how measured, is consistently lower in midterm elections compared to presidential election years. Political scientists aren’t sure why, but have some ideas.
reportJul 24, 2014

GOP Has Midterm Engagement Advantage

The Republican Party holds a clear advantage in voter engagement in this fall’s midterm elections, according to a new national survey by the Pew Research Center. Yet GOP voters are not as enthused and engaged as they were at this point in the midterm campaign four years ago, prior to the Republican Party winning control […]
short readsMar 5, 2014

Public’s anti-incumbent mood hasn’t always predicted big electoral swings

Despite surveys showing anti-incumbent sentiments at or near all-time highs, most members of Congress appear to have little to worry about.
short readsFeb 25, 2014

House set to lose six centuries of experience as Dingell, other long-serving members retire

The spate of congressional retirement announcements may seem like a lot but is within historical norms. But the retirement of several long-serving members likely will further reduce overall experience levels in both the House and Senate,
short readsDec 23, 2013

Congress ends least-productive year in recent history

Congress enacted 57 laws — just 49 of them substantive — in the first session of its two-year term, the smallest first-year legislative output in nearly two decades.
short readsNov 5, 2013

Only 1 in 7 House districts were competitive in 2012

In last year’s elections, winners won by at least 10 points in all but 62 of the 435 House districts.
reportOct 18, 2013

Trust in Government Nears Record Low, But Most Federal Agencies Are Viewed Favorably

Survey Report Public trust in the government, already quite low, has edged even lower in a survey conducted just before the Oct. 16 agreement to end the government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling. Just 19% say that they trust the government in Washington to do what is right just about always or most of […]
short readsOct 17, 2013

A majority of Americans want their lawmakers to put district wishes over national interests

A majority of the public says members of Congress should base their vote on the wishes of their district over the interest of the country.
reportSep 30, 2013

About the Survey

The analysis in this report is based on telephone interviews conducted September 25-29, 2013, among a national sample of 1,005 adults 18 years of age or older living in the continental United States (502 respondents were interviewed on a landline telephone, and 503 were interviewed on a cell phone, including 240 who had no landline […]
reportSep 30, 2013

Anger at Government Most Pronounced among Conservative Republicans

Survey Report With a possible government shutdown just hours away, public anger at the federal government is as high as at any point since the Pew Research Center began asking the question in 1997. Anger is most palpable among conservative Republicans – 41% say they are angry at the federal government, the highest among any […]

Topics

Regions & Countries

Formats

Congress

Most U.S. senators appointed since 1990 have run to keep their seat – and most have won

Congress has long struggled to pass spending bills on time

Faith on the Hill

Congress

Voter turnout always drops off for midterm elections, but why?

GOP Has Midterm Engagement Advantage

Public’s anti-incumbent mood hasn’t always predicted big electoral swings

House set to lose six centuries of experience as Dingell, other long-serving members retire

Congress ends least-productive year in recent history

Only 1 in 7 House districts were competitive in 2012

Trust in Government Nears Record Low, But Most Federal Agencies Are Viewed Favorably

A majority of Americans want their lawmakers to put district wishes over national interests

About the Survey

Anger at Government Most Pronounced among Conservative Republicans

REfine Your Selection

Date

Formats

Regions & Countries

Congress

Sign up for our weekly newsletter

Congress

REfine Your Selection

Date

Years

Formats

Regions & Countries

Research Teams

Bylines