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Religious affiliation in the United States Senate

The religious affiliation in the United States Senate reflects the variety of religion in the United States, despite not being in line with the religious affiliation of the general population.

While the religious preference of elected officials is by no means an indication of their allegiance nor necessarily reflective of their voting record, the religious affiliation of prominent members of all three branches of government is a source of commentary and discussion among the media and public. The topic is also of interest to religious groups and the general public who may appeal to senators of their denomination on religious or moral issues facing the United States Senate.

This list reports the religious affiliation of the members of the United States Senate in the 118th United States Congress. In most cases, in addition to specific sources, the senators' religious affiliations are those mentioned by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life at the Pew Research Center, which publishes a report at the beginning of each Congress.[1][2]

Christians (85)

Protestants (55)

Presbyterians (11)

SenatorPartyStateReligionNotes
John BarrassoRepublicanWyomingPresbyterian[3][4]Denomination: PCUSA; former Catholic.
Marsha BlackburnRepublicanTennesseePresbyterian[5]Denomination: PCA.
Shelley Moore CapitoRepublicanWest VirginiaPresbyterian[6]Denomination: PCUSA.
Tom CarperDemocratDelawarePresbyterian[7][8]Denomination: PCUSA.
Chris CoonsDemocratDelawarePresbyterian[9][10]Attends a Catholic church.[11]
Steve DainesRepublicanMontanaPresbyterian[12]Denomination: EPC.[13][14]
Deb FischerRepublicanNebraskaPresbyterian[15][16]
Josh HawleyRepublicanMissouriPresbyterian[17]Raised as a Methodist;[18] denomination: EPC.[19]
Rand PaulRepublicanKentuckyPresbyterian[20][21]Raised as an Episcopalian.[22][23]
Tina SmithDemocratMinnesotaPresbyterian[2]Swore by an old Heilige Bibel, a family Bible.[24]
Mark WarnerDemocratVirginiaPresbyterian[25][26]

Baptists (10)

SenatorPartyStateReligionNotes
Cory BookerDemocratNew JerseyBaptist[27]Denomination: NBC.[28] Raised as a Methodist.[29]
John BoozmanRepublicanArkansasBaptist[30][31]Denomination: SBC.
Ted CruzRepublicanTexasBaptist[32][33]Denomination: SBC.
Lindsey GrahamRepublicanSouth CarolinaBaptist[34][35]Denomination: SBC.
Chuck GrassleyRepublicanIowaBaptist[36][37]Denomination: BGC; attends a non-denominational church.[38]
Cindy Hyde-SmithRepublicanMississippiBaptist[39]Denomination: SBC.
James LankfordRepublicanOklahomaBaptist[40][41]Denomination: SBC; former student ministries and evangelism specialist for the BGCO.
Mitch McConnellRepublicanKentuckyBaptist[42][43]Denomination: SBC.
Raphael WarnockDemocratGeorgiaBaptistFormer associated pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church, affiliated to NBC;
senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, affiliated to PNBC and ABC.
Roger WickerRepublicanMississippiBaptist[44][45]Denomination: SBC.

Methodists (6)

SenatorPartyStateReligionNotes
Katie BrittRepublicanAlabamaMethodist[46]Denomination: UMC[46]
Tom CottonRepublicanArkansasMethodist[47]Denomination: UMC.[48]
John KennedyRepublicanLouisianaMethodist[49]Denomination: UMC.[49]
Jerry MoranRepublicanKansasMethodist[50][51]Attends a Presbyterian church.[52]
Debbie StabenowDemocratMichiganMethodist[53][54]Denomination: UMC.[55]
Elizabeth WarrenDemocratMassachusettsMethodist[56][57]Denomination: UMC.[58] Attends various churches.[59]

Lutherans (6)

SenatorPartyStateReligionNotes
Sherrod BrownDemocratOhioLutheran[60][61][62]Denomination: ELCA.
Joni ErnstRepublicanIowaLutheran[60]Denomination: ELCA.
Martin HeinrichDemocratNew MexicoLutheran[60][63][64]Denomination: ELCA.
Ron JohnsonRepublicanWisconsinLutheran[60][65][66]Denomination: WELS.
Cynthia LummisRepublicanWyomingLutheran[60][67]Denomination: LCMS.
Jeff MerkleyDemocratOregonLutheran[60][68][69]Denomination: ELCA.

Episcopalians (5)

SenatorPartyStateReligionNotes
Bill HagertyRepublicanTennesseeEpiscopalian[2]
Angus KingIndependent
(caucusing with Democrats)		MaineEpiscopalian[70][71][72]
Gary PetersDemocratMichiganEpiscopalian[70][73][74]
Chris Van HollenDemocratMarylandEpiscopalian[70][75]
Sheldon WhitehouseDemocratRhode IslandEpiscopalian[70][76][77]

Nondenominational Evangelicals (5)

SenatorPartyStateReligionNotes
Ted BuddRepublicanNorth CarolinaNondenominational Evangelical[78]
Bill CassidyRepublicanLouisianaNondenominational Evangelical[79]
Rick ScottRepublicanFloridaNondenominational Evangelical[80]Former Presbyterian.[80]
Tim ScottRepublicanSouth CarolinaNondenominational Evangelical[81][82]
John ThuneRepublicanSouth DakotaNondenominational Evangelical[83][84]

Restorationists (3)

SenatorPartyStateReligionNotes
John CornynRepublicanTexasRestorationist[85][86]Denomination: Churches of Christ.
Roger MarshallRepublicanKansasRestorationistDenomination: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).[87][88]
Tommy TubervilleRepublicanAlabamaRestorationist[89]Denomination: Churches of Christ.

Congregationalists (2)

SenatorPartyStateReligionNotes
Maggie HassanDemocratNew HampshireCongregationalistDenomination: UCC.
Amy KlobucharDemocratMinnesotaCongregationalist[90][91]Denomination: UCC.

Pentecostals (2)

SenatorPartyStateReligionNotes
Kevin CramerRepublicanNorth DakotaPentecostalFormer Lutheran; denomination: ICFG.[92]
Markwayne MullinRepublicanOklahomaPentecostal[93]Denomination: Assemblies of God[94]

Wesleyan-Holiness Evangelicals (1)

SenatorPartyStateReligionNotes
Jon TesterDemocratMontanaWesleyan-Holiness Evangelical[95]Denomination: Church of God (Anderson, Indiana).

Quakers (1)

SenatorPartyStateReligionNotes
John HickenlooperDemocratColoradoQuaker[96]"Raised on the periphery of the Episcopal Church",[97]
but misidentified as an Episcopalian in the Pew Report.[2]

Unspecified Protestants (3)

SenatorPartyStateReligionNotes
Chris MurphyDemocratConnecticutProtestant[98][99]Raised as a Congregationalist.[100]
Jeanne ShaheenDemocratNew HampshireProtestant[101][102]
Todd YoungRepublicanIndianaProtestant[2]

Catholics (27)

SenatorPartyStateReligionNotes
Mike BraunRepublicanIndianaCatholic[103]
Maria CantwellDemocratWashingtonCatholic[104][105]
Bob CaseyDemocratPennsylvaniaCatholic[106][107]
Susan CollinsRepublicanMaineCatholic[108][109]
Catherine Cortez MastoDemocratNevadaCatholic[110][111][112]
Dick DurbinDemocratIllinoisCatholic[113][114]
Kirsten GillibrandDemocratNew YorkCatholic[115][116]
John HoevenRepublicanNorth DakotaCatholic[117][118]
Tim KaineDemocratVirginiaCatholic[119][120]
Mark KellyDemocratArizonaCatholic[2]His wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, is Jewish.
Ben Ray LujánDemocratNew MexicoCatholic[2]
Joe ManchinDemocratWest VirginiaCatholic[116][121]
Ed MarkeyDemocratMassachusettsCatholic[122][123]
Bob MenendezDemocratNew JerseyCatholic[124][125]
Lisa MurkowskiRepublicanAlaskaCatholic[126][127]
Patty MurrayDemocratWashingtonCatholic[128][129]
Alex PadillaDemocratCaliforniaCatholic[130]
Jack ReedDemocratRhode IslandCatholic[131][132]
Pete RickettsRepublicanNebraskaCatholic[133]
Jim RischRepublicanIdahoCatholic[134][135]
Mike RoundsRepublicanSouth DakotaCatholic[136][137]
Marco RubioRepublicanFloridaCatholic[138][139]Former Latter-day Saint.[140]
Eric SchmittRepublicanMissouriCatholic[141]
Dan SullivanRepublicanAlaskaCatholic[142]
Thom TillisRepublicanNorth CarolinaCatholic[143]
J. D. VanceRepublicanOhioCatholic[144][145]Former Non-denominational Evangelical.
Peter WelchDemocratVermontCatholic[146]

Latter-day Saints (3)

SenatorPartyStateReligionNotes
Mike CrapoRepublicanIdahoLatter-day Saint[147][148]
Mike LeeRepublicanUtahLatter-day Saint[149][150]
Mitt RomneyRepublicanUtahLatter-day Saint[151][152]

Jewish (8)

SenatorPartyStateReligionNotes
Richard BlumenthalDemocratConnecticutJewish[153][154]
Jon OssoffDemocratGeorgiaJewish[155]
Ben CardinDemocratMarylandJewish[156][157]
Bernie SandersIndependent
(caucusing with Democrats)		VermontJewish[158][159]Non-practicing.
Jacky RosenDemocratNevadaJewish[160][161]
Brian SchatzDemocratHawaiiJewish[162][163]
Chuck SchumerDemocratNew YorkJewish[164][165]
Ron WydenDemocratOregonJewish[166][167]

Buddhists (1)

SenatorPartyStateReligionNotes
Mazie HironoDemocratHawaiiBuddhist[168][169]School: Jōdo Shinshū; non-practicing.

Unknown or refused to specify (5)

SenatorPartyStateReligionNotes
Tammy BaldwinDemocratWisconsinUnknown or refused to specify[2][170][171]Baptized as an Episcopalian.[172]
Michael BennetDemocratColoradoUnknown or refused to specify[2][173][174]Raised in both Jewish and Christian traditions.[175]
Laphonza ButlerDemocratCaliforniaUnknown or refused to specify
Tammy DuckworthDemocratIllinoisUnknown or refused to specify[2]Sometimes acknowledged as Deist.[176]
John FettermanDemocratPennsylvaniaUnknown or refused to specify

Unaffiliated (1)

SenatorPartyStateReligionNotes
Kyrsten SinemaIndependent
(caucusing with Democrats)		ArizonaUnaffiliatedRaised as a Latter-day Saint.[177]

Comparison with general population

In conjunction with figures derived from the Pew Research Center's 2021 "survey of the religious composition of the United States",[178] the most basic breakdown of the above data indicates that 85% of the Senate identify as Christian (compared with 63% of the population), 8% identify as Jewish (compared with 2% of the population), 5% have unknown religious affiliation or refused to specify it (compared with 2% of the population), 1% identifies with other religions (compared with 5% of the population), and another 1% identifies as unaffiliated (compared with 29% of the population). The unaffiliated are extremely under-represented, while Jews, Presbyterians, Lutherans, and Episcopalians are particularly over-represented.

The following table compares reported religious affiliations of senators to religious statistics of the demographics of the United States:

ReligionGroupNo. of sens% of sens% of population
ChristiansCatholics
27 / 100
27%21%
Presbyterians
11 / 100
11%2%
Baptists
10 / 100
10%11%
Methodists
6 / 100
6%4%
Lutherans
6 / 100
6%3%
Episcopalians
5 / 100
5%1%
Other Protestants
17 / 100
17%18%
Latter-day Saints
3 / 100
3%2%
Jews
8 / 100
8%2%
Buddhists
1 / 100
1%1%
Unknown or refused to specify
5 / 100
5%2%
Unaffiliated
1 / 100
1%29%

See also

References

External links

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