11/12/2004
The 109th Congress will convene in January with a stronger Republican majority and amid calls for unity after a hard-fought campaign season.
Indeed, the Republican Party has a 10-seat advantage in the Senate and a 29-or-greater-seat advantage in the House, pending the results of two run-offs in Louisiana and New York’s 27th District race. There is one Independent in the House and one in the Senate.
While party representation is changing only slightly, the internal makeup of Congress is more notable; the 109th Congress is a more diverse version of its predecessor, by several measures.
The Senate retains 14 women, but the House has added 5 women to its count, making a total of 65 women in the 435-member House.
NFIB-endorsed Sen.-elect Mel Martinez, Fla., fought hard during his campaign and is one of two Latinos in the Senate; Colorado Sen.-elect Ken Salazar is the other. Salazar replaces retiring Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, the only Native American in the Senate.
Campbell’s retirement leaves Rep. Tom Cole, Ind., as the only Native American in Congress. Cole is a member of the Chickasaw Nation.
The Congressional Black Caucus grew on Nov. 2, adding three members to its ranks, bringing its total to 40 members, all Democrats. With the caucus now comprising nearly 10 percent of the House, it may have a stronger presence than in the 108th Congress.
The 109th also boasts five Asian American members.
One way the Congress has changed very little: age. With most incumbents reelected, the most significant change in age is that the average has increased by one year, with the Senate average age at just over 60, and the House at just over 55.
While demographic information of congressional members can prove to be interesting statistics, an even more important fact for small-business owners is the number of their own who will serve in the 109th Congress: 13 members of the new Congress identify themselves as small-business owners.
