Longest US Senate Service by State Delegation (113th Congress)
One state delegation has more experience in the Senate than 37 other U.S. Senators combined
With a dozen Senators out the door and replaced due to retirements and defeat in the 2012 election cycle and two more new faces in the Senate due to the resignation of Jim DeMint and the death of Daniel Inouye, there has been a shake up in the leader board of the most seasoned state delegations in the nation’s upper legislative chamber.
In a matter of a few weeks, Hawaii’s delegation dropped from the longest-serving in the nation with over 72 years of experience between Inouye and Daniel Akaka all the way down to #50 – with just 18 days of collective Senate service as of Monday between newly-elected Mazie Hirono and the appointed Brian Schatz.
Rising to #1 is the Iowa delegation of Chuck Grassley and Tom Harkin, who now have the most collective days of Senate service under their belts at 21,925 collectively, or 60.1 years.
Smart Politics recently profiled Grassley and Harkin, who just reached the #5 all-time mark for the longest consecutive service in the Senate for a state delegation duo of 28+ years.
No other delegation comes close to Iowa in the 113th Congress with Michigan’s Carl Levin (12,424 days) and Debbie Stabenow (4,388) coming in a distant second with 16,812 days, or 46.1 years.
Rounding out the Top 10 for delegations with the most years of collective service in the Senate are Vermont at #3 (44.1 years), Alabama at #4 (42.1), California at #5 (40.2), Montana at #6 (40.1), Mississippi at #7 (39.1), Utah at #8 (38.1), New Jersey at #9 (35.0), and Maryland at #10 (32.1).
In addition to Hawaii, two other states fell out of the Top 10 since the convening of the 112th Congress two years ago:
· Indiana: Falling from #3 to #34 after the primary defeat of long-serving Republican Richard Lugar.
· Arizona: Dropping from #5 to #17 with the retirement of Republican Jon Kyl.
After Hawaii, the greenest U.S. Senate delegations are Connecticut (739 days), North Dakota and Wisconsin (741 days), and Nebraska, New Mexico, and Virginia (1,471 days).
Iowa is also the only Senate delegation in which both of its members have logged in at least 10,000 days of service with Grassley at 11,693 and Harkin at 10,232 through Monday.
Other members of the 10K club include Vermont’s Patrick Leahy (13,885 days), Utah’s Orrin Hatch (13,154), Montana’s Max Baucus (12,443), Mississippi’s Thad Cochran (12,431), Michigan’s Carl Levin (12,424), New Jersey’s Frank Lautenberg (10,241), Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell (10,232), Massachusetts’ John Kerry (10,232), and West Virginia’s Jay Rockefeller (10,220).
Meanwhile, 44 U.S. Senators have currently served less than a full term of six years.
Grassley and Harkin have served more days in the Senate than the entire delegations of 12 states combined: Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
The 21,925 days logged by the Iowa delegation are also more than the following 37 U.S. Senators, who have collectively served 21,895 days through Monday: Kelly Ayotte, Tammy Baldwin, Mark Begich, Michael Bennet, Roy Blunt, Richard Blumenthal, John Boozman, Chris Coons, Ted Cruz, Joe Donnelly, Deb Fischer, Jeff Flake, Al Franken, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kay Hagan, Martin Heinrich, Heidi Heitkamp, Dean Heller, Mazie Hirono, John Hoeven, Ron Johnson, Tim Kaine, Angus King, Mark Kirk, Mike Lee, Joe Manchin, Jeff Merkley, Jerry Moran, Chris Murphy, Rand Paul, Rob Portman, Jim Risch, Marco Rubio, Brian Schatz, Tim Scott, Pat Toomey, and Elizabeth Warren.
Length of Service in the U.S. Senate by State Delegation
Rank
|
State
|
Senior
|
Days
|
Junior
|
Days
|
Total
|
Years
|
1
|
IA
|
Chuck Grassley
|
11,693
|
Tom Harkin
|
10,232
|
21,925
|
60.1
|
2
|
MI
|
Carl Levin
|
12,424
|
Debbie Stabenow
|
4,388
|
16,812
|
46.1
|
3
|
VT
|
Patrick Leahy
|
13,885
|
Bernie Sanders
|
2,197
|
16,082
|
44.1
|
4
|
AL
|
Richard Shelby
|
9,502
|
Jeff Sessions
|
5,849
|
15,351
|
42.1
|
5
|
CA
|
Dianne Feinstein
|
7,370
|
Barbara Boxer
|
7,310
|
14,680
|
40.2
|
6
|
MT
|
Max Baucus
|
12,443
|
Jon Tester
|
2,197
|
14,640
|
40.1
|
7
|
MS
|
Thad Cochran
|
12,431
|
Roger Wicker
|
1,835
|
14,266
|
39.1
|
8
|
UT
|
Orrin Hatch
|
13,154
|
Mike Lee
|
736
|
13,890
|
38.1
|
9
|
NJ
|
Frank Lautenberg
|
10,241
|
Bob Menendez
|
2,547
|
12,788
|
35.0
|
10
|
MD
|
Barbara Mikulski
|
9,502
|
Ben Cardin
|
2,197
|
11,699
|
32.1
|
11
|
WA
|
Patty Murray
|
7,310
|
Maria Cantwell
|
4,388
|
11,698
|
32.0
|
12
|
WV
|
Jay Rockefeller
|
10,220
|
Joe Manchin
|
785
|
11,005
|
30.2
|
13
|
KY
|
Mitch McConnell
|
10,232
|
Rand Paul
|
736
|
10,968
|
30.0
|
14
|
MA
|
John Kerry
|
10,232
|
Elizabeth Warren
|
5
|
10,237
|
28.0
|
15
|
NV
|
Harry Reid
|
9,502
|
Dean Heller
|
610
|
10,112
|
27.7
|
16
|
OK
|
Jim Inhofe
|
6,628
|
Tom Coburn
|
2,927
|
9,555
|
26.2
|
17
|
AZ
|
John McCain
|
9,502
|
Jeff Flake
|
5
|
9,507
|
26.0
|
18
|
LA
|
Mary Landrieu
|
5,849
|
David Vitter
|
2,927
|
8,776
|
24.0
|
18
|
SD
|
Tim Johnson
|
5,849
|
John Thune
|
2,927
|
8,776
|
24.0
|
20
|
RI
|
Jack Reed
|
5,849
|
Sheldon Whitehouse
|
2,197
|
8,046
|
22.0
|
21
|
WY
|
Mike Enzi
|
5,849
|
John Barrasso
|
2,024
|
7,873
|
21.6
|
22
|
OR
|
Ron Wyden
|
6,181
|
Jeff Merkley
|
1,466
|
7,647
|
21.0
|
23
|
IL
|
Dick Durbin
|
5,849
|
Mark Kirk
|
771
|
6,620
|
18.1
|
24
|
GA
|
Saxby Chambliss
|
3,658
|
Johnny Isakson
|
2,927
|
6,585
|
18.0
|
24
|
ID
|
Mike Crapo
|
5,119
|
Jim Risch
|
1,466
|
6,585
|
18.0
|
24
|
KS
|
Pat Roberts
|
5,849
|
Jerry Moran
|
736
|
6,585
|
18.0
|
27
|
NY
|
Chuck Schumer
|
5,119
|
Kirsten Gillibrand
|
1,442
|
6,561
|
18.0
|
28
|
TN
|
Lamar Alexander
|
3,658
|
Bob Corker
|
2,197
|
5,855
|
16.0
|
29
|
ME
|
Susan Collins
|
5,849
|
Angus King
|
5
|
5,854
|
16.0
|
30
|
DE
|
Tom Carper
|
4,388
|
Chris Coons
|
785
|
5,173
|
14.2
|
31
|
AK
|
Lisa Murkowski
|
3,672
|
Mark Begich
|
1,466
|
5,138
|
14.1
|
32
|
FL
|
Bill Nelson
|
4,388
|
Marco Rubio
|
736
|
5,124
|
14.0
|
33
|
AR
|
Mark Pryor
|
3,658
|
John Boozman
|
736
|
4,394
|
12.0
|
34
|
IN
|
Dan Coats
|
4,388
|
Joe Donnelly
|
5
|
4,393
|
12.0
|
34
|
NC
|
Richard Burr
|
2,927
|
Kay Hagan
|
1,466
|
4,393
|
12.0
|
36
|
TX
|
John Cornyn
|
3,691
|
Ted Cruz
|
5
|
3,696
|
10.1
|
37
|
SC
|
Lindsey Graham
|
3,658
|
Tim Scott
|
6
|
3,664
|
10.0
|
38
|
MN
|
Amy Klobuchar
|
2,197
|
Al Franken
|
1,281
|
3,478
|
9.5
|
39
|
MO
|
Claire McCaskill
|
2,197
|
Roy Blunt
|
736
|
2,933
|
8.0
|
39
|
OH
|
Sherrod Brown
|
2,197
|
Rob Portman
|
736
|
2,933
|
8.0
|
39
|
PA
|
Bob Casey
|
2,197
|
Pat Toomey
|
736
|
2,933
|
8.0
|
42
|
CO
|
Mark Udall
|
1,466
|
Michael Bennet
|
1,448
|
2,914
|
8.0
|
43
|
NH
|
Jeanne Shaheen
|
1,466
|
Kelly Ayotte
|
736
|
2,202
|
6.0
|
44
|
NE
|
Mike Johanns
|
1,466
|
Deb Fischer
|
5
|
1,471
|
4.0
|
44
|
NM
|
Tom Udall
|
1,466
|
Martin Heinrich
|
5
|
1,471
|
4.0
|
44
|
VA
|
Mark Warner
|
1,466
|
Tim Kaine
|
5
|
1,471
|
4.0
|
47
|
ND
|
John Hoeven
|
736
|
Heidi Heitkamp
|
5
|
741
|
2.0
|
47
|
WI
|
Ron Johnson
|
736
|
Tammy Baldwin
|
5
|
741
|
2.0
|
49
|
CT
|
Richard Blumenthal
|
734
|
Chris Murphy
|
5
|
739
|
2.0
|
50
|
HI
|
Brian Schatz
|
13
|
Mazie Hirono
|
5
|
18
|
0.0
|
* Through January 7, 2013. Table compiled by Smart Politics.
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