wfn.org | 61 United Methodists to serve in 108th Congress

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Nov. 13, 2002	     News media contact: Joretta Purdue7(202)
546-87227Washington	10-21-71B{521}

NOTE: A list of the United Methodist members of the newly elected U.S.
Congress follows the story.

By Albert J. Menendez*

WASHINGTON (UMNS) - With 61 United Methodists elected to serve in the 108th
Congress, the denomination has maintained its third place ranking in overall
membership.

The next Congress, which will be seated in January, will include 12 United
Methodists in the Senate and 49 in the House of Representatives. Among the
United Methodists in both houses, the Republicans will outnumber Democrats
38 to 23.

Because of the peculiarities of the 2002 election, this compilation is based
on 531 members of Congress.  

Four races remain undecided following the Nov. 5 elections. A runoff will be
held in the Louisiana Senate rate and in that state's 5th Congressional
District Dec. 7. Special elections to replace the late Rep. Patsy Mink of
Hawaii's 2nd District will occur Nov. 30 for the current term and Jan. 4 for
the full term that begins next year.

Texas contributed the largest number of congressional United Methodists, 11,
followed by five in Ohio, four from Florida and Georgia and three from
Nebraska. Twenty-nine states elected at least one Methodist to Congress in
this election cycle, compared to 23 states last time.

Thirty-four United Methodists (56 percent) represent states in the South or
Border South, while 20 hail from the Midwest. Only four come from the
Northeast (none from New England) and three from the Pacific Coast states.

United Methodist members have declined by four since the 107th Congress.
Only three new United Methodists appear in the 62-member freshman class.
They are C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), John Kline (R-Minn.) and Tom Cole
(R-Okla.).

In Alaska, Sen. Frank Murkowski was elected governor in November, and under
that state's laws, he will name his successor to the U.S. Senate in
December.

In terms of strength within state delegations, United Methodists are
strongest in Nebraska, where three of five members are Methodists, and in
New Mexico, where two of five members are Methodists. A third of the members
from Arkansas, Kansas, Texas and Wyoming are Methodists.
 
The United Methodists are third in congressional membership, behind the
Roman Catholics, who are first, and the Baptists. The Presbyterians,
Episcopalians and Jews are fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, as they
have been in the 107th Congress. Nondenominational Protestants, Lutherans,
Mormons and nondenominational Christians fill out the top 10 religious
groups represented in Congress. 

The tabulations are based on the religious affiliations reported by
congressional staffs to Congressional Quarterly and to the Almanac of
American Politics.  The affiliations of the newly elected members of the
108th Congress appeared in CQ's Guide to the New Congress, issued Nov. 7.  

# # #

*Menendez is a free-lance writer and director of research for Americans for
Religious Liberty.

United Methodist Members of the 108th Congress

Senate (12)

Jeff Sessions			R	Alabama
Zell Miller			D	Georgia
Daniel Inouye			D	Hawaii
Larry Craig			R	Idaho
Richard Lugar			R	Indiana
Pat Roberts			R	Kansas
Debbie Stabenow 	D	Michigan
Ben Nelson			D	Nebraska
Jeff Bingaman			D	New Mexico
Hillary Rodham Clinton	D	New York
John Edwards			D	North Carolina
Craig Thomas			R	Wyoming

House (49)

Robert Cramer			D	Alabama 
Jim Kolbe			R	Arizona
Marion Berry			D	Arkansas
Mike Ross			D	Arkansas
Robert Matsui			D	California
Allen Boyd			D	Florida
Ric Keller			R	Florida
Jeff Miller			R	Florida
Bill Young			R	Florida
Mac Collins			R	Georgia
Charlie Norwood 	R	Georgia
Johnny Isakson		R	Georgia
Steve Buyer			R	Indiana
Jerry Moran			R	Kansas
Edward Whitfield		R	Kentucky
Jim McCrery			R	Louisiana	
Richard Baker			R	Louisiana
Wayne Gilchrest 	R	Maryland
C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger	D	Maryland
Mike Rogers			R	Michigan
John Kline			R	Minnesota
Bennie Thompson 	D	Mississippi
Lee Terry			R	Nebraska
Tom Osborne			R	Nebraska
James Saxton			R	New Jersey
Heather Wilson		R	New Mexico
Richard Burr			R	North Carolina
Paul Gilmor			R	Ohio
Rob Portman			R	Ohio
Ted Strickland			D	Ohio

David Hobson			R	Ohio
Steven LaTourette		R	Ohio
Tom Cole			R	Oklahoma
John Peterson			R	Pennsylvania
Donald L. Sherwood		R	Pennsylvania
Bart Gordon			D	Tennessee
Sam Johnson			R	Texas
Ralph Hall			D	Texas
Joe Barton			R	Texas
Pete Sessions			R	Texas
Lloyd Doggett			D	Texas
Chet Edwards			D	Texas
Kay Granger			R	Texas
Larry Combest		R	Texas
Solomon Ortiz			D	Texas
Gene Green			D	Texas
John Culberson		R	Texas
Rick Boucher			D	Virginia
Rick Larsen			D	Washington

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United Methodist News Service
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