# Seniority in the United States Senate

United States senators are conventionally ranked by the length of their tenure in the Senate. The senator in each U.S. state with the longer time in office is known as the senior senator; the other is the junior senator. This convention has no official standing, though seniority confers several benefits, including preference in the choice of committee assignments and physical offices. When senators have been in office for the same length of time, a number of tiebreakers, including previous offices held, are used to determine seniority. By tradition, the longest serving senator of the majority party is named president pro tempore of the Senate, the second-highest office in the Senate and the third in the line of succession to the presidency of the United States.

## Benefits of seniority

The United States Constitution does not mandate differences in rights or power, but Senate rules give more power to senators with more seniority. Generally, senior senators will have more power, especially within their own caucuses.
There are several benefits, including the following:
* Traditionally, the most senior member of the majority party is named president pro tempore of the Senate.
* Senators are given preferential treatment in choosing committee assignments based on seniority. Seniority on a committee is based on length of time serving on that committee, which means a senator may rank above another in committee seniority but be more junior in the full Senate. Although the committee chairmanship is an elected position, it is traditionally given to the most senior senator of the majority party serving on the committee, and not already holding a conflicting position such as chairmanship of another committee. The ranking member of a committee (called the vice-chairman in some select committees) is elected in the same way.
* Greater seniority enables a senator to choose a desk closer to the front of the Senate Chamber.
* Senators with higher seniority may choose to move into better office space as those offices are vacated.
* Seniority determines the ranking in the United States order of precedence.

## Determining the beginning of a term

The beginning of an appointment does not necessarily coincide with the date the Senate convenes or when the new senator is sworn in.

### General elections

In the case of senators first elected in a general election for the upcoming Congress, their terms begin on the first day of the new Congress. For most of American history this was March 4 of odd-numbered years, but effective from 1935 the 20th Amendment moved this to January 3 of odd-numbered years.

### Run-off elections and special elections

In the case of senators elected in a run-off election occurring after the commencement of a new term, or a special election, their seniority date will be the date they are sworn in and not the first day of that Congress. A senator may be simultaneously elected to fill a term in a special election and elected to the six-year term which begins on the upcoming January 3. Their seniority is that of someone chosen in a special election.

### Appointments

The seniority date for an appointed senator is usually the date of the appointment, although the actual term does not begin until they take the oath of office. An incoming senator who holds another office, including membership in the U.S. House of Representatives, must resign from that office before becoming a senator. In the 1970s, some senators would resign a few days or weeks early so that their successor may be appointed to the seat and have greater seniority than other freshmen. In 1980, party rule changes removed seniority advantages in such cases.

## Determining length of seniority

A senator's seniority is primarily determined by length of continuous service; for example, a senator who has served for 12 years is more senior than one who has served for 10 years. Because several new senators usually join at the beginning of a new Congress, seniority is further determined by prior federal or state government service and, if necessary, the amount of time spent in the tiebreaking office. These tiebreakers in order are:
* Former senator
* Former Vice President of the United States
* Former member of the United States House of Representatives
* Former member of the Cabinet of the United States
* Former state governor
* Population of state based on the most recent census when the senator took office
When more than one senator had such office, its length of time is used to break the tie. For instance, Jerry Moran, John Boozman, John Hoeven, Ron Johnson, Rand Paul, Richard Blumenthal, and Mike Lee all took office on January 3, 2011. The first two senators mentioned had served in the House of Representatives: Moran had served for 14 years and Boozman for nine. As a former governor, Hoeven was ranked immediately after the former House members. The rest were ranked by population as of the 2000 census. These ranked from 27th to 33rd in seniority when the 119th United States Congress convened.
If two senators are tied on all criteria, the one whose surname comes first alphabetically is considered the senior senator. This happened with Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, both of Georgia, who were sworn in on January 20, 2021. Because they were both newly elected senators from the same state, with no prior government service, no other tie-breaking criteria could be used. The Senate's official records, as well as the Democratic Caucus, thus consider Ossoff, whose name comes first alphabetically and elected to a full six-year term, as the senior senator.

## Current seniority list

Only relevant factors are listed below. For senators whose seniority is based on their state's respective population, the state population ranking is given as determined by the relevant United States census current at the time that they began service.
The most senior senators by class are Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) from Class 1, Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) from Class 2, and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) from Class 3. Cantwell is the most senior senator from her class while being the junior senator from her state.
Republican (53)    Democratic (45)    Independent (2)
| Current rank | Historical rank | Senator | Party | Party | State | Seniority date | Other factors | Committee and leadership positions |
| 1 | 1743 | Chuck Grassley | | Republican | Iowa | January 3, 1981 | | President pro tempore Chair: Judiciary |
| 2 | 1766 | Mitch McConnell | | Republican | Kentucky | January 3, 1985 | | Chair: Rules |
| 3 | 1812 | Patty Murray | | Democratic | Washington | January 3, 1993 | | President pro tempore emerita Vice Chair: Appropriations |
| 4 | 1827 | Ron Wyden | | Democratic | Oregon | February 6, 1996 | | Ranking Member: Finance |
| 5 | 1831 | Dick Durbin | | Democratic | Illinois | January 3, 1997 | Former House member (14 years) | Senate Minority Whip Ranking Member: Judiciary |
| 6 | 1835 | Jack Reed | | Democratic | Rhode Island | January 3, 1997 | Former House member (6 years) | Ranking Member: Armed Services |
| 7 | 1842 | Susan Collins | | Republican | Maine | January 3, 1997 | | Chair: Appropriations |
| 8 | 1844 | Chuck Schumer | | Democratic | New York | January 3, 1999 | Former House member (18 years) | Senate Minority Leader |
| 9 | 1846 | Mike Crapo | | Republican | Idaho | January 3, 1999 | Former House member (6 years) | Republican Chief Deputy Whip Chair: Finance |
| 10 | 1859 | Maria Cantwell | | Democratic | Washington | January 3, 2001 | | Ranking Member: Commerce |
| 11 | 1867 | John Cornyn | | Republican | Texas | December 2, 2002 | | Chair: Narcotics Caucus |
| 12 | 1868 | Lisa Murkowski | | Republican | Alaska | December 20, 2002 | | Chair: Indian Affairs |
| 13 | 1870 | Lindsey Graham | | Republican | South Carolina | January 3, 2003 | | Chair: Budget |
| 14 | 1879 | John Thune | | Republican | South Dakota | January 3, 2005 | | Senate Majority Leader |
| 15 | 1887 | Bernie Sanders | | Independent | Vermont | January 3, 2007 | Former House member | Chair: Democratic Outreach Committee Ranking Member: HELP |
| 16 | 1893 | Amy Klobuchar | | Democratic | Minnesota | January 3, 2007 | Minnesota 21st in population (2000) | Chair: Democratic Steering and Policy Committee Ranking Member: Agriculture |
| 17 | 1894 | Sheldon Whitehouse | | Democratic | Rhode Island | January 3, 2007 | Rhode Island 43rd in population (2000) | Ranking Member: Environment Ranking Member: Narcotics Caucus |
| 18 | 1896 | John Barrasso | | Republican | Wyoming | June 22, 2007 | | Senate Majority Whip |
| 19 | 1897 | Roger Wicker | | Republican | Mississippi | December 31, 2007 | | Chair: Armed Services |
| 20 | 1901 | Jeanne Shaheen | | Democratic | New Hampshire | January 3, 2009 | Former governor (6 years) | Ranking Member: Foreign Relations |
| 21 | 1902 | Mark Warner | | Democratic | Virginia | January 3, 2009 | Former governor (4 years) | Vice Chair: Democratic Caucus Vice Chair: Intelligence |
| 22 | 1903 | Jim Risch | | Republican | Idaho | January 3, 2009 | Former governor (7 months) | Chair: Foreign Relations |
| 23 | 1905 | Jeff Merkley | | Democratic | Oregon | January 3, 2009 | | Ranking Member: Budget |
| 24 | 1909 | Michael Bennet | | Democratic | Colorado | January 21, 2009 | | |
| 25 | 1910 | Kirsten Gillibrand | | Democratic | New York | January 26, 2009 | | Chair: DSCC Ranking Member: Aging |
| 26 | 1917 | Chris Coons | | Democratic | Delaware | November 15, 2010 | | Vice Chair: Ethics |
| 27 | 1920 | Jerry Moran | | Republican | Kansas | January 3, 2011 | Former House member (14 years) | Chair: Veterans' Affairs |
| 28 | 1922 | John Boozman | | Republican | Arkansas | January 3, 2011 | Former House member (9 years) | Chair: Agriculture |
| 29 | 1924 | John Hoeven | | Republican | North Dakota | January 3, 2011 | Former governor | |
| 30 | 1926 | Ron Johnson | | Republican | Wisconsin | January 3, 2011 | Wisconsin 20th in population (2000) | |
| 31 | 1927 | Rand Paul | | Republican | Kentucky | January 3, 2011 | Kentucky 25th in population (2000) | Chair: Homeland Security |
| 32 | 1928 | Richard Blumenthal | | Democratic | Connecticut | January 3, 2011 | Connecticut 29th in population (2000) | Ranking Member: Veterans' Affairs |
| 33 | 1929 | Mike Lee | | Republican | Utah | January 3, 2011 | Utah 34th in population (2000) | Chair: Energy |
| 34 | 1932 | Brian Schatz | | Democratic | Hawaii | December 26, 2012 | | Democratic Chief Deputy Whip Deputy Secretary: Democratic Caucus Vice Chair: Indian Affairs |
| 35 | 1933 | Tim Scott | | Republican | South Carolina | January 2, 2013 | | Chair: NRSC Chair: Banking |
| 36 | 1934 | Tammy Baldwin | | Democratic | Wisconsin | January 3, 2013 | Former House member (14 years) | Secretary: Democratic Caucus |
| 37 | 1937 | Chris Murphy | | Democratic | Connecticut | January 3, 2013 | Former House member (6 years); Connecticut 29th in population (2010) | Deputy Secretary: Democratic Caucus |
| 38 | 1938 | Mazie Hirono | | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 2013 | Former House member (6 years); Hawaii 40th in population (2010) | |
| 39 | 1939 | Martin Heinrich | | Democratic | New Mexico | January 3, 2013 | Former House member (4 years) | Ranking Member: Energy |
| 40 | 1940 | Angus King | | Independent | Maine | January 3, 2013 | Former governor (8 years) | |
| 41 | 1941 | Tim Kaine | | Democratic | Virginia | January 3, 2013 | Former governor (4 years) | |
| 42 | 1942 | Ted Cruz | | Republican | Texas | January 3, 2013 | Texas 2nd in population (2010) | Chair: Commerce |
| 43 | 1943 | Elizabeth Warren | | Democratic | Massachusetts | January 3, 2013 | Massachusetts 14th in population (2010) | Vice Chair: Democratic Caucus Ranking Member: Banking |
| 44 | 1944 | Deb Fischer | | Republican | Nebraska | January 3, 2013 | Nebraska 38th in population (2010) | |
| 45 | 1948 | Ed Markey | | Democratic | Massachusetts | July 16, 2013 | | Ranking Member: Small Business |
| 46 | 1949 | Cory Booker | | Democratic | New Jersey | October 31, 2013 | | Chair: Democratic Strategic Communications Committee |
| 47 | 1951 | Shelley Moore Capito | | Republican | West Virginia | January 3, 2015 | Former House member (14 years) | Chair: Republican Policy Committee Chair: Environment |
| 48 | 1952 | Gary Peters | | Democratic | Michigan | January 3, 2015 | Former House member (6 years); Michigan 8th in population (2010) | Ranking Member: Homeland Security |
| 49 | 1953 | Bill Cassidy | | Republican | Louisiana | January 3, 2015 | Former House member (6 years); Louisiana 25th in population (2010) | Chair: HELP |
| 50 | 1955 | James Lankford | | Republican | Oklahoma | January 3, 2015 | Former House member (4 years) | Vice Chair: Republican Conference Chair: Ethics |
| 51 | 1956 | Tom Cotton | | Republican | Arkansas | January 3, 2015 | Former House member (2 years); Arkansas 32nd in population (2010) | Chair: Republican Conference Chair: Intelligence |
| 52 | 1957 | Steve Daines | | Republican | Montana | January 3, 2015 | Former House member (2 years); Montana 44th in population (2010) | |
| 53 | 1958 | Mike Rounds | | Republican | South Dakota | January 3, 2015 | Former governor | |
| 54 | 1960 | Thom Tillis | | Republican | North Carolina | January 3, 2015 | North Carolina 10th in population (2010) | |
| 55 | 1961 | Joni Ernst | | Republican | Iowa | January 3, 2015 | Iowa 30th in population (2010) | Chair: Small Business |
| 56 | 1963 | Dan Sullivan | | Republican | Alaska | January 3, 2015 | Alaska 47th in population (2010) | |
| 57 | 1964 | Chris Van Hollen | | Democratic | Maryland | January 3, 2017 | Former House member (14 years) | |
| 58 | 1965 | Todd Young | | Republican | Indiana | January 3, 2017 | Former House member (6 years) | |
| 59 | 1966 | Tammy Duckworth | | Democratic | Illinois | January 3, 2017 | Former House member (4 years) | |
| 60 | 1967 | Maggie Hassan | | Democratic | New Hampshire | January 3, 2017 | Former governor | |
| 61 | 1969 | John Kennedy | | Republican | Louisiana | January 3, 2017 | Louisiana 25th in population (2010) | |
| 62 | 1970 | Catherine Cortez Masto | | Democratic | Nevada | January 3, 2017 | Nevada 35th in population (2010) | Vice Chair: Democratic Outreach Committee |
| 63 | 1972 | Tina Smith | | Democratic | Minnesota | January 3, 2018 | | |
| 64 | 1974 | Cindy Hyde-Smith | | Republican | Mississippi | April 2, 2018 | | |
| 65 | 1975 | Marsha Blackburn | | Republican | Tennessee | January 3, 2019 | Former House member (16 years) | |
| 66 | 1977 | Kevin Cramer | | Republican | North Dakota | January 3, 2019 | Former House member (6 years) | |
| 67 | 1979 | Jacky Rosen | | Democratic | Nevada | January 3, 2019 | Former House member (2 years) | |
| 68 | 1982 | Josh Hawley | | Republican | Missouri | January 3, 2019 | | |
| 69 | 1983 | Rick Scott | | Republican | Florida | January 8, 2019 | | Chair: Republican Steering Committee Chair: Aging |
| 70 | 1985 | Mark Kelly | | Democratic | Arizona | December 2, 2020 | | |
| 71 | 1986 | Ben Ray Luján | | Democratic | New Mexico | January 3, 2021 | Former House member (12 years) | |
| 72 | 1987 | Cynthia Lummis | | Republican | Wyoming | January 3, 2021 | Former House member (8 years) | |
| 73 | 1988 | Roger Marshall | | Republican | Kansas | January 3, 2021 | Former House member (4 years) | |
| 74 | 1989 | John Hickenlooper | | Democratic | Colorado | January 3, 2021 | Former governor | |
| 75 | 1990 | Bill Hagerty | | Republican | Tennessee | January 3, 2021 | Tennessee 17th in population (2010) | |
| 76 | 1991 | Tommy Tuberville | | Republican | Alabama | January 3, 2021 | Alabama 23rd in population (2010) | |
| 77 | 1992 | Alex Padilla | | Democratic | California | January 18, 2021 | | Ranking Member: Rules |
| 78 | 1993 | Jon Ossoff | | Democratic | Georgia | January 20, 2021 | 'O' 15th letter of the alphabet | |
| 79 | 1994 | Raphael Warnock | | Democratic | Georgia | January 20, 2021 | 'W' 23rd letter of the alphabet | |
| 80 | 1995 | Peter Welch | | Democratic | Vermont | January 3, 2023 | Former House member (16 years) | |
| 81 | 1996 | Markwayne Mullin | | Republican | Oklahoma | January 3, 2023 | Former House member (10 years) | |
| 82 | 1997 | Ted Budd | | Republican | North Carolina | January 3, 2023 | Former House member (6 years) | |
| 83 | 1998 | John Fetterman | | Democratic | Pennsylvania | January 3, 2023 | Pennsylvania 5th in population (2020) | |
| 84 | 2000 | Eric Schmitt | | Republican | Missouri | January 3, 2023 | Missouri 19th in population (2020) | |
| 85 | 2001 | Katie Britt | | Republican | Alabama | January 3, 2023 | Alabama 24th in population (2020) | |
| 86 | 2002 | Pete Ricketts | | Republican | Nebraska | January 12, 2023 | | |
| 87 | 2005 | Adam Schiff | | Democratic | California | December 8, 2024 | Former House member (24 years) | |
| 88 | 2006 | Andy Kim | | Democratic | New Jersey | December 8, 2024 | Former House member (6 years) | |
| 89 | 2007 | Ruben Gallego | | Democratic | Arizona | January 3, 2025 | Former House member (10 years) | |
| 90 | 2008 | Jim Banks | | Republican | Indiana | January 3, 2025 | Former House member (8 years); Indiana 17th in population (2020) | |
| 91 | 2009 | Lisa Blunt Rochester | | Democratic | Delaware | January 3, 2025 | Former House member (8 years); Delaware 46th in population (2020) | |
| 92 | 2010 | John Curtis | | Republican | Utah | January 3, 2025 | Former House member (7 years) | |
| 93 | 2011 | Elissa Slotkin | | Democratic | Michigan | January 3, 2025 | Former House member (6 years) | |
| 94 | 2012 | Dave McCormick | | Republican | Pennsylvania | January 3, 2025 | Pennsylvania 5th in population (2020) | |
| 95 | 2013 | Bernie Moreno | | Republican | Ohio | January 3, 2025 | Ohio 7th in population (2020) | |
| 96 | 2014 | Angela Alsobrooks | | Democratic | Maryland | January 3, 2025 | Maryland 18th in population (2020) | |
| 97 | 2015 | Tim Sheehy | | Republican | Montana | January 3, 2025 | Montana 44th in population (2020) | |
| 98 | 2016 | Jim Justice | | Republican | West Virginia | January 14, 2025 | | |
| 99 | 2017 | Jon Husted | | Republican | Ohio | January 18, 2025 | | |
| 100 | 2018 | Ashley Moody | | Republican | Florida | January 21, 2025 | | |
| Rank | Historical rank | Senator | Party | Party | State | Seniority date | Other factors | Committee and leadership positions |