The Senate
The 50 states elect 2 senators each for staggered 6-
year terms. A senator represents between 1 and 37
million people, depending on their state’s population.
The day-to-day activities of the Senate are controlled
largely by the political party holding the most seats,
called the “majority party.“ Here is a count of senators
by party:
Republicans 52
Democrats 46
Independents 2
Total 100
The House of Representatives
The states are also divided into 435 congressional
districts with a population of about 710,000 each. Each
district elects a representative to the House of
Representatives for a 2-year term.
As in the Senate, the day-to-day activities of the House
are controlled by the “majority party.“ Here is a count
of representatives by party:
Republicans 241
Democrats 194
Total 435
In addition, the District of Columbia and the U.S.’s five
island territories each send a non-voting delegate to
the House. Puerto Rico’s delegate is called the
Resident Commissioner.
