The changing face of Congress in 7 charts
The 119th Congress is the most racially and ethnically diverse in history, and it includes the nation’s first openly transgender legislator at the federal level.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Congress
119th Congress brings firsts for women of color
In the Senate, two Black women are serving concurrently for the first time. And in the House, two states and one U.S. territory elected their first Black, Hispanic or Pacific Islander woman lawmaker.
Faith on the Hill
Christians will make up 87% of voting members in the Senate and House of Representatives, combined, in the 2025-27 congressional session.
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Faith on the Hill
While there has been a decades-long decline in the Christian share of U.S. adults, 88% of the voting members in the new 118th Congress identify as Christian. That is only a few points lower than their share in the late 1970s.
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118th Congress has a record number of women
Women make up 28% of all members of the 118th Congress, a considerable increase from where things stood even a decade ago.
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New Congress will have a few more veterans, but their share of lawmakers is still near a record low
The new House will have 80 members who’ve served in the military, or 18.4% of members. That’s up from 75, or 17.2%, in the 117th Congress.
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Public Has Modest Expectations for Washington’s Return to Divided Government
Most U.S. adults say President Joe Biden (65%) and Republican leaders in Congress (61%) will be unsuccessful getting their agendas enacted in the next two years; only about a third say the president and GOP leaders will be successful. Republicans are less confident than Democrats in midterm vote counts – but more confident than they were after the 2020 election.
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Around one-in-five candidates for Congress or governor this year are veterans
21% of the roughly 1,000 candidates for U.S. Senate, House or state governor on the fall ballot claim some degree of military experience.
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Finding 60 votes in an evenly divided Senate? A high bar, but not an impossible one
The current Senate has managed to clear the 60-vote hurdle to avoid a filibuster on several of its main legislative achievements.
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Republicans in Congress are about three times as likely as Democrats to indicate that they own a gun
At least 110 representatives and senators in the current 117th Congress have publicly stated or otherwise confirmed that they own a gun.
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Abortion Rises in Importance as a Voting Issue, Driven by Democrats
While the economy remains the dominant issue in this fall’s midterm elections, the issue of abortion has increased markedly in importance. More voters continue to view their midterm vote as an expression of opposition to Joe Biden than support for him. But across both parties, more voters now say Biden is not much of a factor in their vote.
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Some members of Congress have been there for decades, but seats typically change hands more frequently
When Congress convened in 2021, 72% of House members and 65% of senators were new since the start of the 111th Congress in 2009.
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Republicans More Likely Than Democrats To Say Partisan Control of Congress ‘Really Matters’
71% of Republican voters say their vote for Congress is “against Biden.”
