Religious affiliation in the United States House of Representatives
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This article covers the religious affiliation in the United States House of Representatives.
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 representatives of their denomination on religious or moral issues facing the House of Representatives.
The following list reports the religious affiliation of the members of the United States House of Representatives in the 119th Congress. In most cases, besides specific sources, the current representatives' religious affiliations are those mentioned in regular researches by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life at the Pew Research Center.[1][2]
Christians (370)
[edit]160 Democrats, 209 Republicans, 1 Independent
Protestants (233)
[edit]90 Democrats, 142 Republicans, 1 Independent
Unspecified Protestants (84)
[edit]22 Democrats, 62 Republicans
Baptists (63)
[edit]26 Democrats, 37 Republicans
Methodists (22)
[edit]15 Democrats, 7 Republicans
Episcopalians (16)
[edit]8 Democrats, 8 Republicans
| Name | Party | District | Religion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Julia Brownley |
Democratic | California's 26th | Episcopalian | |
 George T. Whitesides |
Democratic | California's 27th | ||
 Ken Calvert |
Republican | California's 41st | ||
 Dave Min |
Democratic | California's 47th | ||
 Frederica Wilson |
Democratic | Florida's 24th | ||
 Brian Jack |
Republican | Georgia's 3rd | ||
 Andy Barr |
Republican | Kentucky's 6th | ||
 Thomas Kean Jr. |
Republican | New Jersey's 7th | ||
 Scott DesJarlais |
Republican | Tennessee's 4th | ||
 Monica De La Cruz |
Republican | Texas's 15th | ||
 Beth Van Duyne |
Republican | Texas's 24th | ||
 Rob Wittman |
Republican | Virginia's 1st | ||
 Bobby Scott |
Democratic | Virginia's 3rd | ||
 Don Beyer |
Democratic | Virginia's 8th | ||
 Suzan DelBene |
Democratic | Washington's 1st | ||
 Adam Smith |
Democratic | Washington's 9th |
Presbyterians (15)
[edit]7 Democrats, 8 Republicans
| Name | Party | District | Religion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Diana DeGette |
Democratic | Colorado's 1st | Presbyterian | |
 Jim Himes |
Democratic | Connecticut's 4th | ||
 Sarah McBride |
Democratic | Delaware's at-large | ||
 Kathy Castor |
Democratic | Florida's 14th | ||
 Scott Franklin |
Republican | Florida's 18th | ||
 Morgan McGarvey |
Democratic | Kentucky's 3rd | ||
 Julia Letlow |
Republican | Louisiana's 5th | ||
 Claudia Tenney |
Republican | New York's 24th | ||
 Don Davis |
Democratic | North Carolina's 1st | ||
 Joe Wilson |
Republican | South Carolina's 2nd | ||
 Ralph Norman |
Republican | South Carolina's 5th | ||
 Tim Burchett |
Republican | Tennessee's 2nd | ||
 Jodey Arrington |
Republican | Texas's 19th | ||
 Jennifer McClellan |
Democratic | Virginia's 4th | ||
 Dan Newhouse |
Republican | Washington's 4th |
Lutherans (14)
[edit]7 Democrats, 7 Republicans
| Name | Party | District | Religion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Zoe Lofgren |
Democratic | California's 18th | Lutheran | |
 Sydney Kamlager-Dove |
Democratic | California's 37th | ||
 Scott Peters |
Democratic | California's 50th | ||
 Tracey Mann |
Republican | Kansas's 1st | Pietist[1] | |
 Derek Schmidt |
Republican | Kansas's 2nd | ||
 Ron Estes |
Republican | Kansas's 4th | ||
 Chellie Pingree |
Democratic | Maine's 1st | ||
 Jack Bergman |
Republican | Michigan's 1st | ||
 Angie Craig |
Democratic | Minnesota's 2nd | ||
 Donald Norcross |
Democratic | New Jersey's 1st | ||
 Analilia Mejia |
Democratic | New Jersey's 11th | ||
 Lloyd Smucker |
Republican | Pennsylvania's 11th | ||
 John Carter |
Republican | Texas's 31st | ||
 Glenn Grothman |
Republican | Wisconsin's 6th |
Non-denominational Protestants (10)
[edit]3 Democrats, 6 Republicans, 1 Independent
| Name | Party | District | Religion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kevin Kiley |
Independent | California's 3rd | Nondenominational Protestant | |
 Lauren Boebert |
Republican | Colorado's 4th | ||
 Jeff Crank |
Republican | Colorado's 5th | ||
 Jason Crow |
Democratic | Colorado's 6th | ||
 Robin Kelly |
Democratic | Illinois's 2nd | ||
 Ashley Hinson |
Republican | Iowa's 2nd | ||
 Chuck Edwards |
Republican | North Carolina's 11th | ||
 Nancy Mace |
Republican | South Carolina's 1st | ||
 Marie Gluesenkamp Perez |
Democratic | Washington's 3rd | ||
 Harriet Hageman |
Republican | Wyoming's at-large |
Restorationist (4)
[edit]4 Republicans
| Name | Party | District | Religion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Lance Gooden |
Republican | Texas's 5th | Restorationist (Churches of Christ) |
|
 Brett Guthrie |
Republican | Kentucky's 2nd | Restorationist (Churches of Christ)[10] |
|
 John Rose |
Republican | Tennessee's 6th | Restorationist (Churches of Christ) |
Raised Southern Baptist. Classified as an "Unspecified Protestant" in the Pew Report.[1] |
 Ronny Jackson |
Republican | Texas's 13th | Restorationist[1] |
Reformed (2)
[edit]1 Democrat, 1 Republican
| Name | Party | District | Religion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Hillary Scholten |
Democratic | Michigan's 3rd | Reformed (Christian Reformed Church in North America)[11] |
|
 Bill Huizenga |
Republican | Michigan's 4th | Reformed (Christian Reformed Church in North America)[12] |
Adventists (1)
[edit]1 Democrat
| Name | Party | District | Religion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Raul Ruiz |
Democratic | California's 25th | Seventh-day Adventist[13] |
Pentecostals (1)
[edit]1 Republican
| Name | Party | District | Religion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Jason Smith |
Republican | Missouri's 8th | Pentecostal (Assemblies of God)[14] |
Congregationalists (1)
[edit]1 Republican
| Name | Party | District | Religion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Robert Aderholt |
Republican | Alabama's 4th | Congregationalist[15] |
68 Democrats, 56 Republicans
Eastern Orthodox Christians (7)
[edit]2 Democrats, 5 Republicans
Antiochian Orthodox (1)
[edit]1 Republican
| Name | Party | District | Religion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Darrell Issa |
Republican | California's 48th | Antiochian Orthodox[17] | |
Greek Orthodox (5)
[edit]3 Republicans; 2 Democrats
| Name | Party | District | Religion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Jimmy Patronis |
Republican | Florida's 1st | Greek Orthodox[18] | |
 Gus Bilirakis |
Republican | Florida's 12th | Greek Orthodox[19] | |
 Chris Pappas |
Democratic | New Hampshire's 1st | Greek Orthodox[20] | |
 Nicole Malliotakis |
Republican | New York's 11th | Greek Orthodox[21] | |
 Dina Titus |
Democratic | Nevada's 1st | Greek Orthodox[22] |
Unspecified Orthodox (1)
[edit]1 Republican
| Name | Party | District | Religion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Victoria Spartz |
Republican | Indiana's 5th | Unspecified Eastern Orthodox[23] | |
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (6)
[edit]6 Republicans
| Name | Party | District | Religion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Andy Biggs |
Republican | Arizona's 5th | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | |
 Mike Simpson |
Republican | Idaho's 2nd | ||
 Blake Moore |
Republican | Utah's 1st | ||
 Celeste Maloy |
Republican | Utah's 2nd | ||
 Mike Kennedy |
Republican | Utah's 3rd | ||
 Burgess Owens |
Republican | Utah's 4th |
Messianic Jewish (1)
[edit]1 Republican
| Name | Party | District | Religion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Anna Paulina Luna |
Republican | Florida's 13th | Messianic Jewish |
Jewish (24)
[edit]20 Democrats, 4 Republicans
Muslims (4)
[edit]4 Democrats
Sunni Muslims (2)
[edit]2 Democrats
| Name | Party | District | Religion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 André Carson |
Democratic | Indiana's 7th | Sunni Islam[28] | Raised Baptist and attended a Catholic school. |
 Rashida Tlaib |
Democratic | Michigan's 12th | Sunni Islam[29][30] |
Unspecified Muslims (2)
[edit]2 Democrats
| Name | Party | District | Religion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Lateefah Simon |
Democratic | California's 12th | Islam | |
 Ilhan Omar |
Democratic | Minnesota's 5th | [31] |
Hindus (4)
[edit]4 Democrats
| Name | Party | District | Religion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ro Khanna |
Democratic | California's 17th | Hinduism[32] | |
 Raja Krishnamoorthi |
Democratic | Illinois's 8th | [33] | |
 Shri Thanedar |
Democratic | Michigan's 13th | Previously identified as a Protestant in survey of the 118th Congress.[34] | |
 Suhas Subramanyam |
Democratic | Virginia's 10th |
Unitarian Universalists (3)
[edit]3 Democrats
| Name | Party | District | Religion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ami Bera |
Democratic | California's 6th | Unitarian Universalism[35] | Raised Hindu. Reportedly "samples different churches every Sunday."[36] |
 Judy Chu |
Democratic | California's 28th | Unitarian Universalism | In a previous survey, Chu did not answer the religion question.[37] |
 Deborah Ross |
Democratic | North Carolina's 2nd |
Buddhist (2)
[edit]2 Democrats
| Name | Party | District | Religion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Derek Tran |
Democratic | California's 45th | Buddhist | |
 Hank Johnson |
Democratic | Georgia's 4th | Soka Gakkai International[38] |
Unknown/refused to state (23)
[edit]19 Democrats, 4 Republicans
Unaffiliated (4)
[edit]3 Democrats, 1 Republican
| Name | Party | District | Identity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Yassamin Ansari |
Democratic | Arizona's 3rd | Agnostic[42] | Born in a Muslim family. |
 Abraham Hamadeh |
Republican | Arizona's 8th | Nondenominational[42] | His father is Muslim, his mother Druze. |
 Jared Huffman |
Democratic | California's 2nd | Secular humanist/agnostic[43] | Raised in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), he lost faith at age 19.[44] Does not describe himself as an atheist, instead saying he is "a humanist, [perhaps an] agnostic." |
 Emily Randall |
Democratic | Washington's 6th | Unaffiliated |
Current non-voting members
[edit]The following list reports the religious affiliation of the non-voting members of the United States House of Representatives in the 119th Congress.[1][2]
| Name | Party | District | Religion | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Delegate Amata Coleman Radewagen |
Republican | American Samoa at-large | Roman Catholic | |
 Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton |
Democratic | District of Columbia at-large | Episcopalian | |
 Delegate James Moylan |
Republican | Guam at-large | Roman Catholic | |
 Delegate Kimberlyn King-Hinds |
Republican | Northern Mariana Islands at-large | Roman Catholic | |
 Resident Commissioner Pablo Hernández Rivera |
Democratic | Puerto Rico at-large | Roman Catholic | |
 Delegate Stacey Plaskett |
Democratic | U.S. Virgin Islands at-large | Lutheran | |
Numbers and percentages
[edit]The most basic breakdown of the above data in this page indicates that 86% of the House identify as Christian, 5% of the House identify as Jewish, 3% of the House identify with other religions, <1% of the House is unaffiliated, and 4% of the House have unknown affiliation.
| Religion | Group | No. of reps | % of reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | Roman-rite Catholics | 124 / 435 |
28.5% |
| Unspecified Protestants | 84 / 435 |
19.3% | |
| Baptists | 63 / 435 |
14.5% | |
| Methodists | 22 / 435 |
5.1% | |
| Episcopalians | 16 / 435 |
3.7% | |
| Presbyterians | 15 / 435 |
3.4% | |
| Lutherans | 14 / 435 |
3.2% | |
| Non-denominational Protestants | 10 / 435 |
2.3% | |
| Other Christians | 10 / 435 |
2.3% | |
| Orthodox Christians | 7 / 435 |
1.6% | |
| The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) | 6 / 435 |
1.4% | |
| Jews | 24 / 435 |
5.5% | |
| Hindus | 4 / 435 |
0.9% | |
| Muslims | 4 / 435 |
0.9% | |
| Unitarian Universalists | 3 / 435 |
0.7% | |
| Buddhists | 2 / 435 |
0.5% | |
| Unknown/refused to state | 23 / 435 |
5.3% | |
| Unaffiliated | 4 / 435 |
0.9% |
See also
[edit]- Religion in the United States
- Demographics of the United States
- Chaplain of the United States Senate
- Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives
- Religious affiliation in the United States Senate
- Religious affiliations of presidents of the United States
- Religious affiliations of vice presidents of the United States
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 "Religious affiliation of members of the 119th Congress" (PDF). Pew Research Center.
- 1 2 3 Diamant, Jeff (January 2, 2025). "Faith on the Hill". Pew Research Center. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
The religious composition of the 119th Congress
- ↑ Kassel, Matthew (December 8, 2020). "Second time's the charm for South Florida's Maria Elvira Salazar". JewishInsider.com. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ↑ "Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C.—Member Profile". Roll Call. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ↑ "Meet Richard Hudson". Richard Hudson for Congress. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ↑ "Crossroads Concord — Who We Are". mycrossroads.co. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ↑ "Jim Jordan". www.nndb.com. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
- ↑ "Trinity Baptist Staff". Trinity Baptist Church.
- ↑ "Terri Sewell - Ballotpedia". Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
- ↑ Ross, Bobby Jr. (January 24, 2017). "They are friends in Congress — and brothers in Christ". The Christian Chronicle. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- ↑ Rani, Rikha Sharma (August 3, 2020). "Could These Evangelical Democrats Change the Party?". POLITICO. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- ↑ Daining, Peter (October 26, 2010). "Bill Huizenga: 'A good Christian Reformed Dutchman, and a little Irish'". The Holland Sentinel. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ↑ "Meet the Newest Adventist Congressman: Dr. Raul Ruiz". Spectrum Magazine. January 4, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ↑ Bannett, Jonah (June 29, 2016). "Rep. Jason Smith, Republican". The Hill. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
- ↑ "Member Profile— Rep. Robert B. Aderholt, R-Ala". Roll Call. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ↑ "Oklahoma senator is named 'Friend of Faith'". The Oklahoman. September 22, 2018.
- ↑ "Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA)". Armenian National Committee of America. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ↑ "Jimmy Patronis". content.naic.org. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
- ↑ "Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL)". Armenian National Committee of America. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ↑ "Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH)". Armenian National Committee of America. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ↑ "Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY)". Armenian National Committee of America. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ↑ "Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV)". Armenian National Committee of America. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ↑ Erdody, Lindsey (August 8, 2020). "5th District candidate Spartz seizes chances to 'challenge and fight". Indianapolis Business Journal. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ↑ "No Gambler: An Interview With Congressman Mike Levin". San Diego Jewish Journal. January 2, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ↑ "The Jews of Congress". November 21, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ↑ "A guide to the Jewish Democratic House candidates in the 2018 midterm elections". The Times of Israel. October 17, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ↑ "The Jewish women who won elections in the US midterms". The Times of Israel. November 8, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ↑ "Andre Carson (D-Ind.)". Washington Post. July 24, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
Raised going to Baptist church and educated in a Catholic school, Carson at one time considered becoming a priest. Carson converted to Islam in the 1990s after becoming interested in the poetry of the Sufi mystic Rumi and The Autobiography of Malcolm X.
- ↑ Kelly, Erin (August 8, 2018). "Six things about Rashida Tlaib, who will likely become first Muslim woman in Congress". USA Today. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ↑ Spangler, Todd (September 7, 2018). "How Detroit's Rashida Tlaib will make history in Washington". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ↑ "Ilhan Omar in Brooklyn: On Being 'a Muslim Unapologetically'". Voices of NY. February 4, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ↑ "Hindu Americans Now Third Largest Religious Group in Congress". Hindu American Foundation. January 6, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
- ↑ Bhattacharyya, Anirudh (August 30, 2016). "Raja Krishnamoorthi: First-ever Hindu of Indian origin may make it to the US House of Representatives". Firstpost. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
- ↑ Eskow, Nick; Fontelo, Paul (December 30, 2024). "Religious landscape of new Congress features noticeable partisan differences". Roll Call. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
- ↑ Oberoi, Diana (July 29, 2013). "Take Five: Ami Bera". Roll Call. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ↑ Presutti, Carolyn (April 12, 2013). "US Legislators Embracing Different Religions". Voice of America. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ↑ Kaleem, Jaweed (January 6, 2019). "The new Congress is the most diverse ever — but not when it comes to religion". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ↑ Burke, Daniel (February 24, 2007). "Diversity and a Buddhist Sect". Retrieved March 30, 2019.
- ↑ "Jared Golden's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ↑ "These Jewish women are running for office because of Donald Trump". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. August 10, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
- ↑ Kampeas, Ron (October 27, 2022). "Meet 10 Jewish candidates who could be elected to Congress for the first time this fall". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- 1 2 Gersony, Laura (January 4, 2025). "Like Sinema did, Arizona's new members of Congress take oaths on unconventional documents". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
- ↑ Boorstein, Michelle (November 9, 2017). "This lawmaker isn't sure that God exists. Now, he's finally decided to tell people". Retrieved July 31, 2019.
- ↑ Smith, David (August 3, 2019). "'I prefer non-religious': why so few US politicians come out as atheists". The Guardian. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
External links
[edit]- "Faith on the Hill". Pew Research Center. January 2, 2025.
The religious composition of the 119th Congress