Religious affiliation in the United States Senate
Current United States Senators -- Christians ( 86 )
Table:
Senator

Party

State

Religion

Notes

Lamar Alexander

Republican

Tennessee

Presbyterian[2][3]

Marsha Blackburn

Republican

Tennessee

Presbyterian[4]

John Barrasso

Republican

Wyoming

Presbyterian[5][6]

Former Catholic

Shelley Moore Capito

Republican

West Virginia

Presbyterian[7]

Tom Carper

Democrat

Delaware

Presbyterian[8][9]

Chris Coons

Democrat

Delaware

Presbyterian[10][11]

Attends a Catholic church.[12]

Steve Daines

Republican

Montana

Presbyterian[13]

Swore by a Lutheran Bible.[14]

Mike Enzi

Republican

Wyoming

Presbyterian[15][16]

Deb Fischer

Republican

Nebraska

Presbyterian[17][18]

Jim Inhofe

Republican

Oklahoma

Presbyterian[19][20]

Rand Paul

Republican

Kentucky

Presbyterian[21][22]

Raised as an Episcopalian.[23][24]

Ben Sasse

Republican

Nebraska

Presbyterian[25]

Raised as Lutheran;[26][27] former Reformed.[28][29]

Richard Shelby

Republican

Alabama

Presbyterian[30][31]

Mark Warner

Democrat

Virginia

Presbyterian[32][33]

Based on the table and the supplementary paragraphs listed below.

Provide an answer to this question: What state , nicknamed the Old Dominion , has a Senator who was considered to be a potential vice presidential candidate ? Respond with the correct answer (omit explanations) in JSON format as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Use only the information given.

Andrew Lamar Alexander Jr. ( born July 3 , 1940 ) is an American politician who is currently serving as the senior United States Senator from Tennessee , a seat he has held since 2003 . A member of the Republican Party , he also was the 45th governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987 and the 5th United States Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993 , where he helped the implementation of Education 2000 . Born in Maryville , Tennessee , Alexander graduated from Vanderbilt University and the New York University School of Law . After establishing a legal career in Nashville , Tennessee , Alexander ran for Governor of Tennessee in 1974 , but was defeated by Democrat Ray Blanton . Alexander ran for governor again in 1978 , and this time defeated his Democratic opponent . He won re-election in 1982 and served as chairman of the National Governors Association from 1985 to 1986 . Alexander served as the president of the University of Tennessee from 1988 until 1991 , when he accepted appointment as Secretary of Education under President George H. W. Bush . Alexander sought the presidential nomination in the 1996 Republican primaries , but withdrew before the Super Tuesday primaries . He sought the nomination again in the 2000 Republican primaries , but dropped out after a poor showing in the Iowa Straw Poll . In 2002 , Alexander won election to succeed retiring Senator Fred Thompson . Alexander defeated Congressman Ed Bryant in the Republican primary and Congressman Bob Clement in the general election . He served as Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference from 2007 to 2012 .
The Republican Party , also referred to as the GOP ( Grand Old Party ) , is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States ; the other is its historic rival , the Democratic Party . The GOP was founded in 1854 by opponents of the Kansas-Nebraska Act , which allowed for the potential expansion of slavery into certain U.S. territories . The party supported classical liberalism , opposed the expansion of slavery , and supported economic reform . Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president . Under the leadership of Lincoln and a Republican Congress , slavery was banned in the United States in 1865 . The Party was generally dominant during the Third Party System and the Fourth Party System . After 1912 , the Party underwent an ideological shift to the right . Following the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , the party 's core base shifted , with Southern states becoming more reliably Republican in presidential politics . The party 's 21st-century base of support includes people living in rural areas , men , people without college degrees , the elderly , white Americans , and evangelical Christians . The 21st-century Republican Party ideology is American conservatism , which incorporates both economic policies and social values . The GOP supports lower taxes , free market capitalism , restrictions on immigration , increased military spending , gun rights , restrictions on abortion , deregulation and restrictions on labor unions . After the Supreme Court 's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade , the Republican Party opposed abortion in its party platform and grew its support among evangelicals .
Tennessee ( /ˌtɛnəˈsiː/ ( listen ) , locally /ˈtɛnəsi/ ; Cherokee : ᏔᎾᏏ , romanized : Tanasi ) is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States . Tennessee is the 36th largest and the 16th most populous of the 50 United States . Tennessee is bordered by eight states , with Kentucky to the north , Virginia to the northeast , North Carolina to the east , Georgia , Alabama , and Mississippi to the south , Arkansas to the west , and Missouri to the northwest . The Appalachian Mountains dominate the eastern part of the state , and the Mississippi River forms the state 's western border . Nashville is the state 's capital and largest city , with a 2017 population of 667,560 and a 2017 metro population of 1,903,045 . Tennessee 's second largest city is Memphis , which had a population of 652,236 in 2017 . The state of Tennessee is rooted in the Watauga Association , a 1772 frontier pact generally regarded as the first constitutional government west of the Appalachians . What is now Tennessee was initially part of North Carolina , and later part of the Southwest Territory . Tennessee was admitted to the Union as the 16th state on June 1 , 1796 . Tennessee was the last state to leave the Union and join the Confederacy at the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861 . Occupied by Union forces from 1862 , it was the first state to be readmitted to the Union at the end of the war . Tennessee furnished more soldiers for the Confederate Army than any other state besides Virginia , and more soldiers for the Union Army than the rest of the Confederacy combined .
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism , which traces its origins to Britain , particularly Scotland . Presbyterian churches derive their name from the presbyterian form of church government , which is governed by representative assemblies of elders . A great number of Reformed churches are organized this way , but the word Presbyterian , when capitalized , is often applied uniquely to churches that trace their roots to the Church of Scotland , as well as several English dissenter groups that formed during the English Civil War . Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God , the authority of the Scriptures , and the necessity of grace through faith in Christ . Presbyterian church government was ensured in Scotland by the Acts of Union in 1707 , which created the Kingdom of Great Britain . In fact , most Presbyterians found in England can trace a Scottish connection , and the Presbyterian denomination was also taken to North America , mostly by Scots and Scots-Irish immigrants . The Presbyterian denominations in Scotland hold to the Reformed theology of John Calvin and his immediate successors , although there is a range of theological views within contemporary Presbyterianism . Local congregations of churches which use presbyterian polity are governed by sessions made up of representatives of the congregation ( elders ) ; a conciliar approach which is found at other levels of decision-making ( presbytery , synod and general assembly ) . The roots of Presbyterianism lie in the Reformation of the 16th century , the example of John Calvin 's Republic of Geneva being particularly influential . Most Reformed churches that trace their history back to Scotland are either presbyterian or congregationalist in government . In the twentieth century , some Presbyterians played an important role in the ecumenical movement , including the World Council of Churches . Many Presbyterian denominations have found ways of working together with other Reformed denominations and Christians of other traditions , especially in the World Communion of Reformed Churches .
Marsha Blackburn ( née Wedgeworth ; born June 6 , 1952 ) is an American politician and businesswoman serving as the junior United States Senator from Tennessee . A member of the Republican Party , Blackburn previously served the U.S. House for Tennessee 's 7th congressional district from 2003 to 2019 . She was also a State Senator from 1999 to 2003 . On November 6 , 2018 , she became the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Tennessee , defeating Democratic former Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen .
John Anthony Barrasso III ( /bəˈrɑːsoʊ/ ; born July 21 , 1952 ) is an American physician and politician serving as the junior United States Senator from Wyoming . A member of the Republican Party , he previously served in the Wyoming State Senate . Born and raised in Reading , Pennsylvania , Barrasso graduated from Georgetown University , where he received both his B.S . and M.D . He conducted his medical residency at Yale University before moving to Wyoming and beginning a private orthopedics practice in Casper , Wyoming . Barrasso was active in various medical societies and associations . Barrasso initially ran for the U.S. Senate in the 1996 election , narrowly losing the Republican primary to Mike Enzi . In 2002 , he won election to the State Senate , where he stayed until his appointment to the U.S. Senate after the death of incumbent Craig L. Thomas . He was elected in 2008 , and reelected in 2012 and 2018 . In 2018 , Barrasso was selected as chair of the Senate Republican Conference .
Wyoming ( /waɪˈoʊmɪŋ/ ( listen ) ) is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States . The state is the 10th largest by area , the least populous , and the second most sparsely populated state in the country . Wyoming is bordered on the north by Montana , on the east by South Dakota and Nebraska , on the south by Colorado , on the southwest by Utah , and on the west by Idaho and Montana . The state population was estimated at 577,737 in 2018 , which is less than 31 of the most populous U.S. cities including Denver in neighboring Colorado . Cheyenne is the state capital and the most populous city , with an estimated population of 63,624 in 2017 . The western two-thirds of the state is covered mostly by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountains , while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie called the High Plains . Almost half of the land in Wyoming is owned by the U.S. government , leading Wyoming to rank sixth by area and fifth by proportion of a state 's land owned by the federal government . Federal lands include two national parks - Grand Teton and Yellowstone - two national recreation areas , two national monuments , several national forests , historic sites , fish hatcheries , and wildlife refuges . Original inhabitants of the region include the Crow , Arapaho , Lakota , and Shoshone . Southwestern Wyoming was claimed by the Spanish Empire and then Mexican territory until it was ceded to the United States in 1848 at the end of the Mexican-American War . The region acquired the name Wyoming when a bill was introduced to the U.S. Congress in 1865 to provide a temporary government for the territory of Wyoming . The name was used earlier for the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania , and is derived from the Munsee word xwé : wamənk , meaning at the big river flat .
Shelley Wellons Moore Capito ( born November 26 , 1953 ) is an American politician serving as the junior United States Senator for West Virginia since 2015 . A Republican , she is the daughter of three-term West Virginia governor Arch Alfred Moore Jr. She was the U.S. Representative for West Virginia 's 2nd congressional district from 2001 until her election to the Senate . She is the current dean of West Virginia 's congressional delegation . Senator Capito has earned a 68.25% Lifetime Score from the American Conservative Union . She was the only Republican in the West Virginia congressional delegation until 2011 , and the first Republican woman elected to Congress from West Virginia . Capito was elected to the Senate in 2014 , becoming the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate in the history of West Virginia and the first Republican to win a full term in the Senate from West Virginia since 1942 .
West Virginia ( /vərˈdʒɪniə/ ( listen ) ) is a state located in the Appalachian region of the Southern United States , and is also considered to be a part of the Mid-Atlantic Southeast Region . It is bordered by Pennsylvania to the north , Maryland to the east and northeast , Virginia to the southeast , Kentucky to the southwest , and Ohio to the northwest . West Virginia is the 41st largest state by area , and is ranked 38th in population . The capital and largest city is Charleston . West Virginia became a state following the Wheeling Conventions of 1861 , at the start of the American Civil War . Delegates from the Unionist counties of northwestern Virginia decided to break away from Virginia , which also included secessionist counties in the new state . West Virginia was admitted to the Union on June 20 , 1863 , and was a key border state during the war . It was the only state to form by separating from a Confederate state , the first to separate from any state since Maine separated from Massachusetts , and was one of two states admitted to the Union during the American Civil War ( the other being Nevada ) . While a portion of its residents held slaves , most of the residents were yeoman farmers , and the delegates provided for gradual abolition of slavery in the new state Constitution . The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States . However , the Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies the state as a part of the Mid-Atlantic region . The northern panhandle extends adjacent to Pennsylvania and Ohio , with the West Virginia cities of Wheeling and Weirton just across the border from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area , while Bluefield is less than 70 miles ( 110 km ) from North Carolina .
Thomas Richard Carper ( born January 23 , 1947 ) is an American politician serving as the senior United States Senator from Delaware , serving since 2001 . A member of the Democratic Party , Carper served in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1993 and was the 71st Governor of Delaware from 1993 to 2001 . A native of Beckley , West Virginia , Carper graduated from Ohio State University . Serving as a Naval Flight Officer in the U.S. Navy from 1968 until 1973 , he flew the P-3 Orion as a Tactical Coordinator/Mission Commander and saw active duty in the Vietnam War . After leaving the active duty Navy , he remained in the U.S . Naval Reserve for another 18 years and eventually retired with the rank of Captain ( O-6 ) . Upon receiving his MBA from the University of Delaware in 1975 , Carper went to work for the State of Delaware in its economic development office . He was elected State Treasurer , serving from 1977 to 1983 and leading the development of Delaware 's first cash management system . Encouraged by local politicians , Carper successfully ran for Delaware 's only seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982 . He served five terms in the House , where he chaired the Subcommittee on Economic Stabilization . In 1992 he arranged a swap with term-limited Governor Michael Castle , and the two were easily elected to each other 's seats . Carper governed for two terms as a moderate , business-oriented New Democrat , following the lead of the two previous Republican governors .
The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States , along with its main rival , the Republican Party . Tracing its heritage back to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison 's Democratic-Republican Party , the modern-day Democratic Party was founded around 1828 by supporters of Andrew Jackson , making it the world 's oldest active political party . In its early years , the Party supported limited government , state sovereignty and opposed banks and the abolition of slavery . Since Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal coalition in the 1930s , the Democratic Party has promoted a social liberal platform . Well into the 20th century , the party had conservative pro-business and Southern conservative-populist wings ; following the New Deal , however , the conservative wing of the party largely withered outside the South . The New Deal Coalition of 1932-1964 attracted strong support from voters of recent European extraction - many of whom were Catholics based in the cities . After the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , the core bases of the two parties shifted , with the Southern states becoming more reliably Republican in presidential politics and the Northeastern states becoming more reliably Democratic . The once-powerful labor union element became smaller and less supportive after the 1970s . White evangelicals and Southerners have become heavily Republican at the state and local levels since the 1990s . People living in urban areas , women , college graduates , sexual and gender minorities , millennials , and black , Latino , Jewish , Muslim and Asian Americans tend to support the Democratic Party . The Democratic Party 's philosophy of modern liberalism advocates social and economic equality , along with the welfare state . It seeks to provide government regulation in the economy .
Delaware ( /ˈdɛləwɛər/ ( listen ) ) is one of the 50 states of the United States , in the Mid Atlantic region . [ a ] It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland , north by Pennsylvania , and east by New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean . The state takes its name from Thomas West , 3rd Baron De La Warr , an English nobleman and Virginia 's first colonial governor . Delaware occupies the northeastern portion of the Delmarva Peninsula and some islands and territory within the Delaware River . It is the second smallest and sixth least populous state , but the sixth most densely populated . Delaware 's largest city is Wilmington . The state is divided into three counties , the lowest number of any state . From north to south , they are New Castle County , Kent County , and Sussex County . While the southern two counties have historically been predominantly agricultural , New Castle County is more urbanized . Before its coastline was explored by Europeans in the 16th century , Delaware was inhabited by several groups of Native Americans , including the Lenape in the north and Nanticoke in the south . It was initially colonized by Dutch traders at Zwaanendael , near the present town of Lewes , in 1631 . Delaware was one of the 13 colonies participating in the American Revolution .
Christopher Andrew Coons ( born September 9 , 1963 ) is an American politician serving as the Junior United States Senator from Delaware since 2010 . A member of the Democratic Party , he won a special election to succeed Ted Kaufman , who had been appointed to the seat when Joe Biden resigned to become Vice President of the United States . Previously , Coons was the county executive of New Castle County . Coons is the 1983 Truman Scholar from Delaware , and the first recipient of the award to serve in the United States Senate . Raised in Hockessin , Delaware , Coons graduated from Amherst College , where he joined Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity . He received graduate degrees from Yale Divinity School and Yale Law School . He went to work as a volunteer relief worker in Kenya , where he had taken classes in the University of Nairobi , later returning to the U.S. to work for the Coalition for the Homeless in New York . He spent some time as a legal clerk in New York before returning to Delaware in 1996 , where he spent eight years as in-house counsel for a materials manufacturing company . In the interim he worked for several nonprofit organizations . He worked on several political campaigns in his early career , including Ronald Reagan 's 1980 presidential campaign . In college he switched from being a Republican to a Democrat , and in 1996 he became a delegate from Wilmington to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago . His political career began in earnest on the New Castle County Council in 2000 , where he served as council president .
Steven David Daines ( born August 20 , 1962 ) is an American politician serving as the junior United States Senator from Montana since 2015 . A member of the Republican Party , he previously served as the U.S. Representative for Montana 's at-large congressional district from 2013 to 2015 . In the 2014 Senate election , Daines won an open seat , defeating Democratic nominee Amanda Curtis .
Montana ( /mɒnˈtænə/ ( listen ) ) is a state in the Northwestern United States . Montana has several nicknames , although none are official , including Big Sky Country and The Treasure State , and slogans that include Land of the Shining Mountains and more recently The Last Best Place . Montana is the fourth-largest in area , the 8th least populous , and the third-least densely populated of the 50 U.S. states . The western half of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges . Smaller island ranges are found throughout the state . In all , 77 named ranges are part of the Rocky Mountains . The eastern half of Montana is characterized by western prairie terrain and badlands . Montana is bordered by Idaho to the west , Wyoming to the south , North Dakota and South Dakota to the east , and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia , Alberta , and Saskatchewan to the north . The economy is primarily based on agriculture , including ranching and cereal grain farming . Other significant economic resources include oil , gas , coal , hard rock mining , and lumber . The health care , service , and government sectors also are significant to the state 's economy . The state 's fastest-growing sector is tourism .
Michael Bradley Enzi ( /ˈɛnzi/ ; born February 1 , 1944 ) is an American politician and accountant serving as the senior United States Senator from Wyoming , a seat he was first elected to in 1996 . He is a member of the Republican Party . Raised in Thermopolis , Wyoming , Enzi attended George Washington University and the University of Denver . He expanded his father 's shoe store business in Gillette , Wyoming before being elected the city 's mayor in 1974 . In the late 1970s , he worked for the United States Department of the Interior . He served as a state legislator in both the Wyoming House of Representatives ( 1987-1991 ) and Wyoming Senate ( 1991-1997 ) . During the 1980s and 1990s , he worked as an accountant and executive director in the energy industry . Enzi was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996 with 54% of the vote and was reelected in 2002 with 73% of the vote , in 2008 with 75% of the vote and in 2014 with 71% of the vote . Since his election , he has consistently been ranked one of the most conservative members of the Senate . He was a member of the 2009 Gang of Six , which attempted to negotiate health care reform . Since 2015 , he has also chaired the Senate Budget Committee , during the 114th and 115th Congresses .
Debra Lynelle Strobel Fischer ( born March 1 , 1951 ) is an American politician serving as the senior United States Senator from Nebraska since 2013 . Prior to that , she served two terms in the Nebraska Legislature , representing a rural district in the Sandhills . She is a member of the Republican Party .
Nebraska /nəˈbræskə/ ( listen ) is a state that lies in both the Great Plains and the Midwestern United States . It is bordered by South Dakota to the north ; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast , both across the Missouri River ; Kansas to the south ; Colorado to the southwest ; and Wyoming to the west . It is the only triply landlocked U.S. state . Nebraska 's area is just over 77,220 square miles ( 200,000 km2 ) with a population of almost 1.9 million people . Its state capital is Lincoln , and its largest city is Omaha , which is on the Missouri River . Indigenous peoples , including Omaha , Missouria , Ponca , Pawnee , Otoe , and various branches of the Lakota ( Sioux ) tribes , lived in the region for thousands of years before European exploration . The state is crossed by many historic trails , including that of the Lewis and Clark Expedition . Nebraska was admitted as the 37th state of the United States in 1867 . It is the only state in the United States whose legislature is unicameral and officially nonpartisan . Nebraska is composed of two major land regions : the Dissected Till Plains and the Great Plains . The Dissected Till Plains region consist of gently rolling hills and contains the state 's largest cities , Omaha and Lincoln . The Great Plains region , occupying most of western Nebraska , is characterized by treeless prairie , suitable for cattle-grazing .
James Mountain Inhofe ( /ˈɪnhɒf/ ; born November 17 , 1934 ) is an American politician serving as the senior United States Senator from Oklahoma , a seat he was first elected to in 1994 . A member of the Republican Party , he chaired the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works ( EPW ) from 2003 to 2007 and again from 2015 to 2017 . Inhofe served as the U.S. Representative for Oklahoma 's 1st congressional district from 1987 to 1994 and as mayor of Tulsa from 1978 to 1984 . Inhofe is known for his rejection of the scientific consensus on climate change . He supports a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage and has proposed the Inhofe Amendment to make English the national language of the United States . Inhofe served as acting chairman of the Armed Services Committee while John McCain fought cancer in 2018 . After McCain 's death , he became chairman .
Oklahoma ( /ˌoʊkləˈhoʊmə/ ( listen ) ; Cherokee : ᎣᎦᎳᎰᎹ , ogalahoma ; Choctaw : Oklahumma ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States , bordered by the state of Texas on the south and west , Kansas on the north , Missouri on the northeast , Arkansas on the east , New Mexico on the west , and Colorado on the northwest . It is the 20th-most extensive and the 28th-most populous of the 50 United States . Its residents are known as Oklahomans ( or colloquially , Okies ) , and its capital and largest city is Oklahoma City . The state 's name is derived from the Choctaw words okla and humma , meaning red people . It is also known informally by its nickname , The Sooner State , in reference to the non-Native settlers who staked their claims on land before the official opening date of lands in the western Oklahoma Territory or before the Indian Appropriations Act of 1889 , which increased European-American settlement in the eastern Indian Territory . Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory were merged into the State of Oklahoma when it became the 46th state to enter the union on November 16 , 1907 . With ancient mountain ranges , prairie , mesas , and eastern forests , most of Oklahoma lies in the Great Plains , Cross Timbers , and the U.S . Interior Highlands , all regions prone to severe weather . Oklahoma is on a confluence of three major American cultural regions and historically served as a route for cattle drives , a destination for Southern settlers , and a government-sanctioned territory for Native Americans . More than 25 Native American languages are spoken in Oklahoma . A major producer of natural gas , oil , and agricultural products , Oklahoma relies on an economic base of aviation , energy , telecommunications , and biotechnology . Both Oklahoma City and Tulsa serve as Oklahoma 's primary economic anchors , with nearly two-thirds of Oklahomans living within their metropolitan statistical areas .
Randal Howard Paul ( born January 7 , 1963 ) is an American politician and physician serving as the junior United States Senator from Kentucky since 2011 , alongside Majority Leader Mitch McConnell . He is the son of former U.S. Representative Ron Paul of Texas who was a presidential candidate in 1988 , 2008 , and 2012 . Born in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , Paul attended Baylor University and is a graduate of the Duke University School of Medicine . Paul began practicing ophthalmology in 1993 in Bowling Green , Kentucky , and established his own clinic in December 2007 . In 2010 , Paul entered politics by running for a seat in the United States Senate . A Republican , Paul has described himself as a Constitutional conservative and a supporter of the Tea Party movement . He has advocated for a balanced budget amendment , term limits , privacy reform , and criminal justice reform . Paul was a candidate for the Republican nomination at the 2016 U.S. presidential election . He suspended his campaign in February 2016 , after finishing in fifth place out of 12 Republican candidates at the Iowa caucuses .
Kentucky ( UK : /kɛnˈtʌki/ ken-TUK-ee , US : /kən-/ ( listen ) kən- ) , officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky , is a state located in the Southern United States . Although styled as the State of Kentucky in the law creating it , ( because in Kentucky 's first constitution , the term state was used ) , Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth ( the others being Virginia , Pennsylvania , and Massachusetts ) . Originally a part of Virginia , in 1792 Kentucky split from it and became the 15th state to join the Union . Kentucky is the 37th most extensive and the 26th most populous of the 50 United States . Kentucky is known as the Bluegrass State , a nickname based on the bluegrass , a species of grass found in many of its pastures . One of the major regions in Kentucky is the Bluegrass Region in central Kentucky , which houses its two largest cities , Louisville and Lexington . It is a land with diverse environments and abundant resources , including the world 's longest cave system , Mammoth Cave National Park , one of the greatest lengths of navigable waterways and streams in the contiguous United States , and the two largest man-made lakes east of the Mississippi River . Kentucky is also known for horse racing , bourbon , moonshine , coal , My Old Kentucky Home historic state park , automobile manufacturing , tobacco , bluegrass music , college basketball , Kentucky Fried Chicken , and the Kentucky colonel .
Benjamin Eric Sasse ( /ˈsæs/ SASS ; born February 22 , 1972 ) is an American politician , author , professor , and academic administrator who serves as the junior United States senator from Nebraska , a seat he was first elected to in 2014 . Sasse is a member of the Republican Party . Born in Plainview , Nebraska , Sasse earned a doctorate in American history from Yale University . He taught at the University of Texas and served as an Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . In 2010 , he was named president of Midland University in Fremont , Nebraska . In 2014 , he successfully ran for a vacant seat in the U.S. Senate , defeating Democratic nominee David Domina by a margin of 65% to 31% .
Richard Craig Shelby ( born May 6 , 1934 ) is an American politician serving as the senior United States Senator from Alabama . First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986 , he is the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee , succeeding Thad Cochran . He previously served as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking , Housing , and Urban Affairs and Senate Committee on Rules and Administration . He is the longest serving U.S . Senator from Alabama , surpassing John Sparkman who held the previous record . Born in Birmingham , Alabama , Shelby received his law degree from the Birmingham School of Law in 1961 . After law school in 1963 , he went on to serve as city prosecutor ( 1963-1971 ) . During this period he worked as a U.S. Magistrate for the Northern District of Alabama ( 1966-1970 ) and Special Assistant Attorney General of Alabama ( 1969-1971 ) . He won a seat in the Alabama Senate in 1970 . In 1978 , he was elected from the 7th District to the United States House of Representatives , where he was among a group of Conservative Democrats known as the boll weevils . In 1986 , Shelby won a tight race as a Democrat for the U.S. Senate . In 1994 , the day after the Republican Revolution in which the GOP gained the majority in Congress midway through President Bill Clinton 's first term , Shelby switched party affiliations and became a Republican .
Alabama ( /ˌæləˈbæmə/ ) is a state in the southeastern region of the United States . It is bordered by Tennessee to the north , Georgia to the east , Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south , and Mississippi to the west . Alabama is the 30th largest by area and the 24th-most populous of the U.S. states . With a total of 1,500 miles ( 2,400 km ) of inland waterways , Alabama has among the most of any state . Alabama is nicknamed the Yellowhammer State , after the state bird . Alabama is also known as the Heart of Dixie and the Cotton State . The state tree is the longleaf pine , and the state flower is the camellia . Alabama 's capital is Montgomery . The largest city by population is Birmingham , which has long been the most industrialized city ; the largest city by land area is Huntsville . The oldest city is Mobile , founded by French colonists in 1702 as the capital of French Louisiana . The Greater Birmingham metropolitan area is Alabama 's most populous urban area . From the American Civil War until World War II , Alabama , like many states in the southern U.S. , suffered economic hardship , in part because of its continued dependence on agriculture .
Mark Robert Warner ( born December 15 , 1954 ) is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior United States Senator from Virginia , a seat he was first elected to in 2008 . He is a member of the Democratic Party and currently a Vice Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus and the Vice Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee . Prior to his congressional career , Warner was the 69th Governor of Virginia holding the office from 2002 to 2006 , and is the honorary chairman of the Forward Together PAC . Warner delivered the keynote address at the 2008 Democratic National Convention . Apart from politics , Warner is also known for his involvement in telecommunications-related venture capital during the 1980s ; he founded the firm Columbia Capital . In 2006 , he was widely expected to pursue the Democratic nomination in the 2008 U.S. presidential election ; however , he announced in October 2006 that he would not run , citing a desire not to disrupt his family life . Warner was considered to be a potential vice presidential candidate , until he took himself out of consideration after winning the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate . Running against his gubernatorial predecessor , Jim Gilmore , Warner won his first election to the Senate in 2008 with 65% of the vote . Warner won reelection in 2014 , narrowly defeating Ed Gillespie .
Virginia ( /vərˈdʒɪniə/ ( listen ) ) , officially the Commonwealth of Virginia , is a state in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States located between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains . The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay , which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna . The capital of the Commonwealth is Richmond ; Virginia Beach is the most populous city , and Fairfax County is the most populous political subdivision . The Commonwealth 's estimated population as of 2018 [ update ] is over 8.5 million . The area 's history begins with several indigenous groups , including the Powhatan . In 1607 the London Company established the Colony of Virginia as the first permanent English colony in the New World . Virginia 's state nickname , the Old Dominion , is a reference to this status . Slave labor and the land acquired from displaced Native American tribes each played a significant role in the colony 's early politics and plantation economy . Virginia was one of the 13 Colonies in the American Revolution . In the American Civil War , Virginia 's Secession Convention resolved to join the Confederacy , and Virginia 's First Wheeling Convention resolved to remain in the Union ; that led to the creation of West Virginia . Although the Commonwealth was under one-party rule for nearly a century following Reconstruction , both major national parties are competitive in modern Virginia . The Virginia General Assembly is the oldest continuous law-making body in the New World .