Joint Center Ranks Democratic Senators on 2025 Staff Diversity

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 17, 2025

Contact:
Kennedy Fortner, kennedy.fortner@jointcenter.org

Victoria Johnson, victoria.johnson@jointcenter.org

The Joint Center ranked the 2025 Senate Democratic diversity data and found that Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE) has the highest percentage of Black staff, followed by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (MD), Jon Ossoff (GA), and Raphael Warnock (GA).

Senator Martin Heinrich (NM), Ben Ray Luján (NM), Brian Schatz (HI), Alex Padilla (CA), and Ossoff (GA) have the most diverse staff, while Senators  Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Maggie Hassan (NH), Peter Welch (VT), and Gary Peters (MI) have the least diverse staff.

Our analysis includes 20 graphics detailing the rankings of the top personal and committee offices* with the highest percentage of people of color, and shows the personal offices with the highest percentage of Black, Latina/o, Asian American/Pacific Islander, women, and LGBTQ staff.

Of the 47 Democratic Senate personal offices, 41 were included in our analysis comparing this year’s data to the 2025 survey results. Of these 41 personal offices, 11 reported an increase in the percentage of staff who identify as people of color, 25 reported a decrease, and five remained unchanged. Of the 11 Senate Democratic personal offices that observed an increase, only 18 percent observed an increase of more than five percentage points.

While Senators Bernie Sanders (VT) and Angus King (ME) are Independent Party members, they still receive their committee assignments through the Democratic Party and are included in this analysis.

Among committees, the Senate Banking Committee (Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (MA)), Senate Indian Affairs Committee (Ranking Member Schatz (HI)), and Senate Rules and Administration Committee (Ranking Member Padilla (CA)) have the most diverse committee staff. Over half of the staff on these three committees identify as people of color.

Six Democratic committees have no Black staff. They are the Senate Aging Committee (Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand (NY)), Senate Armed Services Committee (Ranking Member Jack Reed (RI)), Senate Budget Committee (Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (OR)), Senate Indian Affairs Committee (Ranking Member Brian Schatz (HI), Joint Economic Committee (JEC) (Ranking Member Hassan (NH)), and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (CT)).

Senate Appropriations Committee (Chair Patty Murray (WA)), Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (Chair Tom Carper (DE)), and the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee (Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (WA)) is only three percent Black and Senate Appropriations Committee (Ranking Member Murray (WA)) are only four percent Black.

See below for five of the 20 charts and click here for the full analysis by Joint Center Senior Researcher Dr. LaShonda Brenson.

“Senate Democrats should be applauded for continuing to lead on transparency and staff diversity through efforts like the Senate Democratic Diversity Initiative,” said Dr. Brenson, who has conducted this analysis since 2019. “At the same time, the data reveals concerning gaps — particularly in the lack of Black staff within some Senate personal and committee offices. None of the 47 Democratic senators increased by more than five percentage points from 2024 in Black staff and six Democratic committees reported no Black staff at all in 2025. Representation in congressional staff is foundational to addressing long-standing racial disparities in policy and decision-making. We applaud the Senate Democrats for their transparency in staff diversity, but urge them to prioritize diversity in hiring staff to better represent their constituents.”

“It remains encouraging to see Senate Democrats continue their commitment to transparency by releasing demographic staff data for the ninth year,” said Joint Center President Dedrick Asante-Muhammad. “We commend the four senators with the highest Black staff, especially Senators Blunt Rochester and Alsobrooks, who are new to the chamber, for leading in Black staff at 39 percent. However, several offices have seen no change — or even a decline — since last year, which signals the urgent need for renewed effort.”

*We typically analyze the most and least improved staff diversity by committee offices in comparison to the previous year, but since 11 of the 19 Senate Democratic committee offices changed leadership, we did not include this in our analysis.

Background

Since 2015, the Joint Center’s Government Diversity Program, formerly known as the Hill Diversity Program, has researched and disseminated information on the importance of having a diverse congressional staff. Our findings can be found in our following reports and campaigns: “Racial Diversity Among Top Senate Staff” (2015); “Racial Diversity Among Top House Staff” (2018); “Racial Diversity Among Top Staff in Senate Personal Offices” (2020); “Racial Diversity Among Top Staff in the U.S. House of Representatives” (2022); “Racial Diversity Among U.S. Senate State Directors” (2022); Midterm Hiring Analysis (2022); “Racial Diversity of the 118th Congress by Age” (2023); “Pathway Staff Diversity in Senate Personal Offices” (2024); Midterm Hiring Analysis (2024); and Racial & Ethnic Representation Among Top Staff in the U.S. House of Representatives (2025).

Congress has since taken steps to improve transparency and staff diversity. For the past nine years, Senate Democrats led both chambers by releasing racial/ethnic data about the staff in Democratic Senators’ personal and committee offices. Senate Democrats, however, should also disaggregate data by job title to show how many top staff positions are held by people of color, so existing disparities in representation can come to light. Disaggregating by job title would also allow for a closer examination of potential systemic obstacles that might prevent people of color from obtaining higher-ranking positions. Additionally, Senate Republicans have yet to publicly release staff demographic data. Senate Republicans should immediately disclose this data and annually report their staff diversity data. Both Senate Republicans and Democrats should work together to develop a diversity plan that helps Senate offices in recruiting, hiring, training, promoting, and retaining a diverse Senate staff.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, America’s Black think tank, provides compelling and actionable policy solutions to eradicate persistent and evolving barriers to the full freedom of Black people in America. We are the trusted forum for leading experts and scholars to participate in major public policy debates and promote ideas that advance Black communities. We use evidence-based research, analysis, convenings, and strategic communications to support Black communities and a network of allies.