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The seniority in the United States Senate is based upon a series of ranked factors; only resorting to the next factor when tied. [1]
Senior Senator and Junior Senator are terms commonly used in the media to describe United States Senators. Each state sends two senators to serve in the Senate; the longer (continuously) serving of the two is by convention referred to as the senior senator, and the other is referred to as the junior senator. If both are elected at the same time (e.g., one in a regular election and the other simultaneously to fill the seat of a senator who resigned), the one who is sworn in first is senior.
There is no mandated difference in rights or power, although Senate rules give more power to senators with more seniority. Generally, senior senators will have more power, though being a member of the majority party is more advantageous than being senior. In addition, by custom the senior senators from the president's party control federal patronage appointments in their states. Thus being the junior senator is disadvantageous if the senior one is from the same party.
Some of the perquisites of seniority offered by the U.S. Senate:
Traditionally, seniority brings with it greater clout. As a result of this, it is fairly difficult for the more junior members of both houses of Congress to have a significant impact on policy. Notable exceptions to this include Lyndon B. Johnson (elected in 1948), who was junior to Thomas T. Connally (elected in 1928); Joseph McCarthy (elected to Senate in 1946), who was junior to Alexander Wiley (elected to Senate in 1938); and Trent Lott (elected 1988), who was junior to Thad Cochran (elected 1978).
This article is part of a series on the |
United States Senate |
---|
History of the United States Senate |
Members |
|
Politics and procedure |
Places |
The president pro tempore of the Senate is traditionally the most senior member of the majority party. The current president pro tempore, Robert Byrd, is also the dean of the United States Senate.
Only relevant factors are listed. For instance, Robert Byrd's time with the House of Representatives no longer has any bearing on his seniority, so it is not listed.
For senators who have a cited, verified census the state population ranking is listed. [2] [3] [4] [5]
Rank | Name | Seniority date | Other factors |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Robert Byrd (D-WV) | January 3 1959 | |
2 | Ted Kennedy (D-MA) | November 7 1962 | |
3 | Daniel Inouye (D-HI) | January 3 1963 | |
4 | Ted Stevens (R-AK) | December 24 1968 | |
5 | Pete Domenici [6] (R-NM) | January 3 1973 | New Mexico 37th in population (1970) |
6 | Joe Biden (D-DE) | Delaware 46th in population (1970) | |
7 | Patrick Leahy (D-VT) | January 3 1975 | |
8 | Richard Lugar (R-IN) | January 4 1977 | Indiana 11th in population (1970) |
9 | Orrin Hatch (R-UT) | Utah 36th in population (1970) | |
10 | Max Baucus (D-MT) | December 15 1978 | |
11 | Thad Cochran (R-MS) | December 27 1978 | |
12 | John Warner [6] (R-VA) | January 2 1979 | |
13 | Carl Levin (D-MI) | January 3 1979 | |
14 | Chris Dodd (D-CT) | January 3 1981 | Former U.S. representative (6 years); Connecticut 24th in population (1970) |
15 | Chuck Grassley (R-IA) | Former U.S. representative (6 years); Iowa 25th in population (1970) | |
16 | Arlen Specter (R-PA) | ||
17 | Jeff Bingaman [7] (D-NM) | January 3 1983 | |
18 | John Kerry (D-MA) | January 2 1985 | |
19 | Tom Harkin (D-IA) | January 3 1985 | Former U.S. representative |
20 | Mitch McConnell (R-KY) | ||
21 | Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) | January 15 1985 | |
22 | Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) | January 6 1987 | Former U.S. representative (10 years) |
23 | Richard Shelby (R-AL) | Former U.S. representative (8 years) | |
24 | John McCain (R-AZ) | Former U.S. representative (4 years); Arizona 29th in population (1980) | |
25 | Harry Reid (D-NV) | Former U.S. representative (4 years); Nevada 43rd in population (1980) | |
26 | Kit Bond (R-MO) | Former governor | |
27 | Kent Conrad (D-ND) | ||
28 | Herb Kohl (D-WI) | January 3 1989 | Wisconsin 16th in population (1980) |
29 | Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) [8] | Connecticut 25th in population (1980) | |
30 | Daniel Akaka (D-HI) | May 16 1990 | |
31 | Larry Craig [6] (R-ID) | January 3 1991 | |
32 | Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) | November 10 1992 | |
33 | Byron Dorgan (D-ND) | December 15 1992 | |
34 | Barbara Boxer (D-CA) | January 5 1993 | Former U.S. representative (10 years) |
35 | Judd Gregg (R-NH) | Former U.S. representative (8 years) | |
36 | Russ Feingold (D-WI) | Wisconsin 16th in population (1990) | |
37 | Patty Murray (D-WA) | Washington 18th in population (1990) | |
38 | Bob Bennett (R-UT) | Utah 35th in population (1990) | |
39 | Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) | June 14 1993 | |
40 | Jim Inhofe (R-OK) | November 17 1994 | |
41 | Olympia Snowe (R-ME) | January 4 1995 | Former U.S. representative (16 years) |
42 | Jon Kyl (R-AZ) | Former U.S. representative (8 years) | |
43 | Ron Wyden (D-OR) | February 6 1996 | |
44 | Sam Brownback (R-KS) | November 7 1996 | |
45 | Pat Roberts (R-KS) | January 7 1997 | Former U.S. representative (16 years) |
46 | Richard Durbin (D-IL) | Former U.S. representative (14 years) | |
47 | Tim Johnson (D-SD) | Former U.S. representative (10 years) | |
48 | Wayne Allard [6] (R-CO) | Former U.S. representative (6 years); Colorado 26th in population (1990) | |
49 | Jack Reed (D-RI) | Former U.S. representative (6 years); Rhode Island 43rd in population (1990) | |
50 | Mary Landrieu (D-LA) | Louisiana 21st in population (1990) | |
51 | Jeff Sessions (R-AL) | Alabama 22nd in population (1990) | |
52 | Gordon Smith (R-OR) | Oregon 29th in population (1990) | |
53 | Chuck Hagel [6] (R-NE) | Nebraska 36th in population (1990) | |
54 | Susan Collins (R-ME) | Maine 38th in population (1990) | |
55 | Mike Enzi (R-WY) | Wyoming 50th in population (1990) | |
56 | Chuck Schumer (D-NY) | January 6 1999 | Former U.S. representative (18 years) |
57 | Jim Bunning (R-KY) | Former U.S. representative (12 years) | |
58 | Mike Crapo (R-ID) | Former U.S. representative (6 years) | |
59 | Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) | Former U.S. representative (4 years) | |
60 | George Voinovich (R-OH) | Former governor; Ohio 7th in population (1990) | |
61 | Evan Bayh (D-IN) | Former governor; Indiana 15th in population (1990) | |
62 | Bill Nelson (D-FL) | January 3 2001 | Former U.S. representative (12 years) |
63 | Tom Carper (D-DE) | Former U.S. representative (10 years) | |
64 | Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) | Former U.S. representative (4 years); Michigan 8th in population (1990) | |
65 | John Ensign (R-NV) | Former U.S. representative (4 years); Nevada 39th in population (1990) | |
66 | Maria Cantwell (D-WA) | Former U.S. representative (2 years) | |
67 | Ben Nelson (D-NE) | Former governor | |
68 | Hillary Rodham Clinton [9] (D-NY) | ||
69 | Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) | December 20 2002 | |
70 | Frank Lautenberg [10] (D-NJ) | January 3 2003 | Previous Senate service |
71 | Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) | Former U.S. representative (8 years); Georgia 9th in population (2000) | |
72 | Lindsey Graham (R-SC) | Former U.S. representative (8 years); South Carolina 24th in population (2000) | |
73 | John Sununu (R-NH) | Former U.S. representative (6 years) | |
74 | Lamar Alexander (R-TN) | Former Cabinet member; former governor | |
75 | Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) | Former Cabinet member | |
76 | John Cornyn [11] (R-TX) | Texas 2nd in population (2000) | |
77 | Norm Coleman [12] (R-MN) | Minnesota 21st in population (2000) | |
78 | Mark Pryor (D-AR) | Arkansas 32nd in population (2000) | |
79 | Richard Burr (R-NC) | January 3 2005 | Former U.S. representative (10 years) |
80 | Jim DeMint (R-SC) | Former U.S. representative (6 years); South Carolina 24th in population (2000) | |
81 | Tom Coburn (R-OK) | Former U.S. representative (6 years); Oklahoma 27th in population (2000) | |
82 | John Thune (R-SD) | Former U.S. representative (6 years); South Dakota 46th in population (2000) | |
83 | Johnny Isakson (R-GA) | Former U.S. representative (5 years, 10 months) | |
84 | David Vitter (R-LA) | Former U.S. representative (5 years, 7 months) | |
85 | Mel Martinez (R-FL) | Former Cabinet member | |
86 | Barack Obama (D-IL) | Illinois 5th in population (2000) | |
87 | Ken Salazar (D-CO) | Colorado 22nd in population (2000) | |
88 | Bob Menendez (D-NJ) | January 18 2006 | |
89 | Ben Cardin (D-MD) | January 3 2007 | Former U.S. representative (20 years) |
90 | Bernie Sanders (I-VT) | Former U.S. representative (16 years) | |
91 | Sherrod Brown (D-OH) | Former U.S. representative (14 years) | |
92 | Bob Casey, Jr. (D-PA) | Pennsylvania 6th in population (2000) | |
93 | Jim Webb [13] (D-VA) | Virginia 12th in population (2000) | |
94 | Bob Corker (R-TN) | Tennessee 16th in population (2000) | |
95 | Claire McCaskill (D-MO) | Missouri 17th in population (2000) | |
96 | Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) | Minnesota 21st in population (2000) | |
97 | Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) | Rhode Island 43rd in population (2000) | |
98 | Jon Tester (D-MT) | Montana 44th in population (2000) | |
99 | John Barrasso (R-WY) | June 25 2007 | |
100 | Roger Wicker (R-MS) | December 31 2007 | |
Mark Udall (D-CO) | January 3 2009 | Former U.S. representative (10 Years); Colorado 22nd in population (2000) | |
Tom Udall (D-NM) | Former U.S. representative (10 Years); New Mexico 36th in population (2000) | ||
Mike Johanns (R-NE) | Former Cabinet member | ||
Mark Warner (D-VA) | Former Governor; Virginia 12th in population (2000) | ||
Jim Risch (R-ID) | Former Governor; Idaho 39th in population (2000) | ||
Ronnie Musgrove (D-MS) | Former Governor; Mississippi 31st in population (2000) | ||
Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) | Former Governor; New Hampshire 46th in population (2000) | ||
Jim Martin (D-GA) | Georgie 9th in population (2000) | ||
Kay Hagan (D-NC) | North Carolina 10th in population (2000) | ||
Al Franken (D-MN) | Minnesota 21st in population (2000) | ||
Bruce Lunsford (D-KY) | Kentucky 26th in population (2000) | ||
Mark Begich (D-AK) | Alaska 47th in population (2000) |
This is not a Wikipedia article: It is an individual user's work-in-progress page, and may be incomplete and/or unreliable. For guidance on developing this draft, see
Wikipedia:So you made a userspace draft. Find sources:
Google (
books ·
news ·
scholar ·
free images ·
WP refs) ·
FENS ·
JSTOR ·
TWL |
The seniority in the United States Senate is based upon a series of ranked factors; only resorting to the next factor when tied. [1]
Senior Senator and Junior Senator are terms commonly used in the media to describe United States Senators. Each state sends two senators to serve in the Senate; the longer (continuously) serving of the two is by convention referred to as the senior senator, and the other is referred to as the junior senator. If both are elected at the same time (e.g., one in a regular election and the other simultaneously to fill the seat of a senator who resigned), the one who is sworn in first is senior.
There is no mandated difference in rights or power, although Senate rules give more power to senators with more seniority. Generally, senior senators will have more power, though being a member of the majority party is more advantageous than being senior. In addition, by custom the senior senators from the president's party control federal patronage appointments in their states. Thus being the junior senator is disadvantageous if the senior one is from the same party.
Some of the perquisites of seniority offered by the U.S. Senate:
Traditionally, seniority brings with it greater clout. As a result of this, it is fairly difficult for the more junior members of both houses of Congress to have a significant impact on policy. Notable exceptions to this include Lyndon B. Johnson (elected in 1948), who was junior to Thomas T. Connally (elected in 1928); Joseph McCarthy (elected to Senate in 1946), who was junior to Alexander Wiley (elected to Senate in 1938); and Trent Lott (elected 1988), who was junior to Thad Cochran (elected 1978).
This article is part of a series on the |
United States Senate |
---|
History of the United States Senate |
Members |
|
Politics and procedure |
Places |
The president pro tempore of the Senate is traditionally the most senior member of the majority party. The current president pro tempore, Robert Byrd, is also the dean of the United States Senate.
Only relevant factors are listed. For instance, Robert Byrd's time with the House of Representatives no longer has any bearing on his seniority, so it is not listed.
For senators who have a cited, verified census the state population ranking is listed. [2] [3] [4] [5]
Rank | Name | Seniority date | Other factors |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Robert Byrd (D-WV) | January 3 1959 | |
2 | Ted Kennedy (D-MA) | November 7 1962 | |
3 | Daniel Inouye (D-HI) | January 3 1963 | |
4 | Ted Stevens (R-AK) | December 24 1968 | |
5 | Pete Domenici [6] (R-NM) | January 3 1973 | New Mexico 37th in population (1970) |
6 | Joe Biden (D-DE) | Delaware 46th in population (1970) | |
7 | Patrick Leahy (D-VT) | January 3 1975 | |
8 | Richard Lugar (R-IN) | January 4 1977 | Indiana 11th in population (1970) |
9 | Orrin Hatch (R-UT) | Utah 36th in population (1970) | |
10 | Max Baucus (D-MT) | December 15 1978 | |
11 | Thad Cochran (R-MS) | December 27 1978 | |
12 | John Warner [6] (R-VA) | January 2 1979 | |
13 | Carl Levin (D-MI) | January 3 1979 | |
14 | Chris Dodd (D-CT) | January 3 1981 | Former U.S. representative (6 years); Connecticut 24th in population (1970) |
15 | Chuck Grassley (R-IA) | Former U.S. representative (6 years); Iowa 25th in population (1970) | |
16 | Arlen Specter (R-PA) | ||
17 | Jeff Bingaman [7] (D-NM) | January 3 1983 | |
18 | John Kerry (D-MA) | January 2 1985 | |
19 | Tom Harkin (D-IA) | January 3 1985 | Former U.S. representative |
20 | Mitch McConnell (R-KY) | ||
21 | Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) | January 15 1985 | |
22 | Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) | January 6 1987 | Former U.S. representative (10 years) |
23 | Richard Shelby (R-AL) | Former U.S. representative (8 years) | |
24 | John McCain (R-AZ) | Former U.S. representative (4 years); Arizona 29th in population (1980) | |
25 | Harry Reid (D-NV) | Former U.S. representative (4 years); Nevada 43rd in population (1980) | |
26 | Kit Bond (R-MO) | Former governor | |
27 | Kent Conrad (D-ND) | ||
28 | Herb Kohl (D-WI) | January 3 1989 | Wisconsin 16th in population (1980) |
29 | Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) [8] | Connecticut 25th in population (1980) | |
30 | Daniel Akaka (D-HI) | May 16 1990 | |
31 | Larry Craig [6] (R-ID) | January 3 1991 | |
32 | Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) | November 10 1992 | |
33 | Byron Dorgan (D-ND) | December 15 1992 | |
34 | Barbara Boxer (D-CA) | January 5 1993 | Former U.S. representative (10 years) |
35 | Judd Gregg (R-NH) | Former U.S. representative (8 years) | |
36 | Russ Feingold (D-WI) | Wisconsin 16th in population (1990) | |
37 | Patty Murray (D-WA) | Washington 18th in population (1990) | |
38 | Bob Bennett (R-UT) | Utah 35th in population (1990) | |
39 | Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) | June 14 1993 | |
40 | Jim Inhofe (R-OK) | November 17 1994 | |
41 | Olympia Snowe (R-ME) | January 4 1995 | Former U.S. representative (16 years) |
42 | Jon Kyl (R-AZ) | Former U.S. representative (8 years) | |
43 | Ron Wyden (D-OR) | February 6 1996 | |
44 | Sam Brownback (R-KS) | November 7 1996 | |
45 | Pat Roberts (R-KS) | January 7 1997 | Former U.S. representative (16 years) |
46 | Richard Durbin (D-IL) | Former U.S. representative (14 years) | |
47 | Tim Johnson (D-SD) | Former U.S. representative (10 years) | |
48 | Wayne Allard [6] (R-CO) | Former U.S. representative (6 years); Colorado 26th in population (1990) | |
49 | Jack Reed (D-RI) | Former U.S. representative (6 years); Rhode Island 43rd in population (1990) | |
50 | Mary Landrieu (D-LA) | Louisiana 21st in population (1990) | |
51 | Jeff Sessions (R-AL) | Alabama 22nd in population (1990) | |
52 | Gordon Smith (R-OR) | Oregon 29th in population (1990) | |
53 | Chuck Hagel [6] (R-NE) | Nebraska 36th in population (1990) | |
54 | Susan Collins (R-ME) | Maine 38th in population (1990) | |
55 | Mike Enzi (R-WY) | Wyoming 50th in population (1990) | |
56 | Chuck Schumer (D-NY) | January 6 1999 | Former U.S. representative (18 years) |
57 | Jim Bunning (R-KY) | Former U.S. representative (12 years) | |
58 | Mike Crapo (R-ID) | Former U.S. representative (6 years) | |
59 | Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) | Former U.S. representative (4 years) | |
60 | George Voinovich (R-OH) | Former governor; Ohio 7th in population (1990) | |
61 | Evan Bayh (D-IN) | Former governor; Indiana 15th in population (1990) | |
62 | Bill Nelson (D-FL) | January 3 2001 | Former U.S. representative (12 years) |
63 | Tom Carper (D-DE) | Former U.S. representative (10 years) | |
64 | Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) | Former U.S. representative (4 years); Michigan 8th in population (1990) | |
65 | John Ensign (R-NV) | Former U.S. representative (4 years); Nevada 39th in population (1990) | |
66 | Maria Cantwell (D-WA) | Former U.S. representative (2 years) | |
67 | Ben Nelson (D-NE) | Former governor | |
68 | Hillary Rodham Clinton [9] (D-NY) | ||
69 | Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) | December 20 2002 | |
70 | Frank Lautenberg [10] (D-NJ) | January 3 2003 | Previous Senate service |
71 | Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) | Former U.S. representative (8 years); Georgia 9th in population (2000) | |
72 | Lindsey Graham (R-SC) | Former U.S. representative (8 years); South Carolina 24th in population (2000) | |
73 | John Sununu (R-NH) | Former U.S. representative (6 years) | |
74 | Lamar Alexander (R-TN) | Former Cabinet member; former governor | |
75 | Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) | Former Cabinet member | |
76 | John Cornyn [11] (R-TX) | Texas 2nd in population (2000) | |
77 | Norm Coleman [12] (R-MN) | Minnesota 21st in population (2000) | |
78 | Mark Pryor (D-AR) | Arkansas 32nd in population (2000) | |
79 | Richard Burr (R-NC) | January 3 2005 | Former U.S. representative (10 years) |
80 | Jim DeMint (R-SC) | Former U.S. representative (6 years); South Carolina 24th in population (2000) | |
81 | Tom Coburn (R-OK) | Former U.S. representative (6 years); Oklahoma 27th in population (2000) | |
82 | John Thune (R-SD) | Former U.S. representative (6 years); South Dakota 46th in population (2000) | |
83 | Johnny Isakson (R-GA) | Former U.S. representative (5 years, 10 months) | |
84 | David Vitter (R-LA) | Former U.S. representative (5 years, 7 months) | |
85 | Mel Martinez (R-FL) | Former Cabinet member | |
86 | Barack Obama (D-IL) | Illinois 5th in population (2000) | |
87 | Ken Salazar (D-CO) | Colorado 22nd in population (2000) | |
88 | Bob Menendez (D-NJ) | January 18 2006 | |
89 | Ben Cardin (D-MD) | January 3 2007 | Former U.S. representative (20 years) |
90 | Bernie Sanders (I-VT) | Former U.S. representative (16 years) | |
91 | Sherrod Brown (D-OH) | Former U.S. representative (14 years) | |
92 | Bob Casey, Jr. (D-PA) | Pennsylvania 6th in population (2000) | |
93 | Jim Webb [13] (D-VA) | Virginia 12th in population (2000) | |
94 | Bob Corker (R-TN) | Tennessee 16th in population (2000) | |
95 | Claire McCaskill (D-MO) | Missouri 17th in population (2000) | |
96 | Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) | Minnesota 21st in population (2000) | |
97 | Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) | Rhode Island 43rd in population (2000) | |
98 | Jon Tester (D-MT) | Montana 44th in population (2000) | |
99 | John Barrasso (R-WY) | June 25 2007 | |
100 | Roger Wicker (R-MS) | December 31 2007 | |
Mark Udall (D-CO) | January 3 2009 | Former U.S. representative (10 Years); Colorado 22nd in population (2000) | |
Tom Udall (D-NM) | Former U.S. representative (10 Years); New Mexico 36th in population (2000) | ||
Mike Johanns (R-NE) | Former Cabinet member | ||
Mark Warner (D-VA) | Former Governor; Virginia 12th in population (2000) | ||
Jim Risch (R-ID) | Former Governor; Idaho 39th in population (2000) | ||
Ronnie Musgrove (D-MS) | Former Governor; Mississippi 31st in population (2000) | ||
Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) | Former Governor; New Hampshire 46th in population (2000) | ||
Jim Martin (D-GA) | Georgie 9th in population (2000) | ||
Kay Hagan (D-NC) | North Carolina 10th in population (2000) | ||
Al Franken (D-MN) | Minnesota 21st in population (2000) | ||
Bruce Lunsford (D-KY) | Kentucky 26th in population (2000) | ||
Mark Begich (D-AK) | Alaska 47th in population (2000) |