wfn.org | More United Methodists will serve in new Congress

[NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG]

Nov. 13, 2000 News media contact: Joretta Purdue ·(202) 546-8722·Washington
10-21-71B{510}

NOTE: A list of United Methodist members of Congress follows the end of this
report.

By Albert J. Menendez* 

WASHINGTON (UMNS) -- Reversing a four-decade decline, the United Methodist
representation in Congress has increased from 59 to 65.

The increase is particularly pronounced in the Senate, which will have 16
United Methodists in the new 107th Congress, compared with 12 in the 106th
Congress.  

Five new United Methodist Democrats were elected Nov. 7, including Hillary
Rodham Clinton in New York, Jon Corzine of New Jersey, Ben Nelson of
Nebraska, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan (who moved from the House of
Representatives to the Senate), and Zell Miller of Georgia. Miller was
appointed earlier this year upon the death of Paul Coverdell and went on to
win the Georgia seat in the current election. 

Both of Kansas' senators are United Methodists and Republicans; and the
senators from Georgia and New Jersey are all United Methodists and
Democrats.

While Democratic United Methodists outnumber their Republican counterparts
10 to six in the Senate, the story in the House of Representatives is quite
different. There, in the United Methodist family, Republicans outnumber
Democrats 33 to 16.

Among all 65 United Methodists in the 107th Congress, 39 (or 60 percent) are
Republicans, and 26 (or 40 percent) are Democrats. The Democrats posted a
small gain compared with the 106th Congress, elected in 1998.

The United Methodists hail from all regions, though more than half of them -
33 - were elected in the South. Three more came from the border states of
Kentucky and Maryland.  This gives the United Methodists as a group a
distinctly Southern flavor.

With 11 delegates, Texas contributed the largest number to the United
Methodist congressional contingent, followed by Georgia with six and Ohio
with five.

In terms of relative strength within state delegations, the church's
representation is strongest in Nebraska, where three of five members belong
to the denomination, and in neighboring Kansas, where three of six members
are United Methodists.

Nearly half of the Georgia delegation - six of 13 - and one-third of those
from Louisiana and Texas belong to the United Methodist Church. Twenty-five
states sent at least one United Methodist to Congress.

United Methodists remain the third largest religious group in Congress, with
Roman Catholics in first place and Baptists second. Presbyterians,
Episcopalians and Jews are in fourth, fifth and sixth places in the
rankings, as they were in the 106th Congress.  Nondenominational
Protestants, Lutherans, Mormons and members of the United Church of Christ
fill out the 10 most-represented religious groups in Congress. 

# # #

* Menendez is an associate director of Americans for Religious Liberty. He
lives in Maryland.

United Methodist members of the 107th Congress:

Senate

Jeff Sessions		R	Alabama
Zell Miller                   D	Georgia
Max Cleland		D	Georgia
Daniel Inouye		D	Hawaii
Larry Craig		R	Idaho
Richard Lugar		R	Indiana
Pat Roberts		R	Kansas
Sam Brownback	R	Kansas
Debbie Stabenow        D         Michigan
Ben Nelson                 D         Nebraska
Jon Corzine                 D         New Jersey
Robert Torricelli	D	New Jersey
Jeff Bingaman		D	New Mexico
Hillary Clinton            D         New York
John Edwards              D	North Carolina
Craig Thomas		 R	Wyoming

House

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
Bill Young		R	Florida
Mac Collins		R	Georgia
Bob Barr		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	
John Cooksey		R	Louisiana
Richard Baker		R	Louisiana
Wayne Gilchrest	R	Maryland
Robert Ehrlich		R	Maryland
	
Mike Rogers*             R	Michigan
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
John Peterson		R	Pennsylvania
Donald L. Sherwood   R	Pennsylvania
Bob Clement		D	Tennessee
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

*Votes are being recounted for this seat.

*************************************
United Methodist News Service
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