Joint Center Ranks Democratic Senators on 2026 Staff Diversity 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 31, 2026

Contact: 
Kennedy Fortner, kennedy.fortner@jointcenter.org
Victoria Johnson, victoria.johnson@jointcenter.org

Joint Center Ranks Democratic Senators on 2026 Staff Diversity

Senators Alsobrooks (MD), Blunt Rochester (DE), Ossoff (GA), Warnock (GA), and Van Hollen (MD) have the highest percentage of Black staff

Senators Schatz (HI), Heinrich (NM), and Padilla (CA) have the most racially and ethnically diverse staff

WASHINGTON — The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies commends the Senate Democrats for releasing their tenth annual survey on racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual orientation/gender identity diversity of their staff. To date, Senate Republican offices have not released staff demographic data.

The Joint Center ranked the 2026 Senate Democratic diversity data and found that Senators Angela Alsobrooks (MD), Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE), and Jon Ossoff (GA) have the highest percentage of Black staff, followed by Senators Raphael Warnock (GA) and Chris Van Hollen (MD).

Senator Brian Schatz (HI), Martin Heinrich (NM), and Alex Padilla (CA) have the most diverse staff, while Senators Gary Peters (MI), Peter Welch (VT), and Tina Smith (MN) have the least diverse staff.

Our analysis includes over 20 graphics detailing the rankings of the 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.

Compared to our 2025 analysis of the 47 personal offices, 22 increased their percentage of staff who identify as people of color, 18 reported a decrease, and seven remained unchanged. Of the 22 Senate Democratic personal offices that observed an increase, only 13.6 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 Brian Schatz (HI)), Senate Judiciary Committee (Ranking Member Dick Durbin (IL)), and Senate Rules and Administration Committee (Ranking Member Alex Padilla (CA)) have the most diverse committee staff. At least half of the staff on these four committees identify as people of color.

The five Democratic committees with the highest Black staff are Senate Energy Committee (Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (NM)), Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), Ranking Member Gary Peters (MI), Senate Banking Committee (Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (MA)), Senate Judiciary Committee (Ranking Member Dick Durbin (IL)), Senate Small Business Committee (Ranking Member Edward Markey (MA)).

Nine Democratic committees have no Black staff. They are the Senate Aging Committee (Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand (NY)), Senate Agriculture Committee (Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (MN)), Senate Armed Services Committee (Ranking Member Jack Reed (RI)), Senate Budget Committee (Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (OR)), Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee (Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (WA)), Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee (Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (VT)), Senate Indian Affairs Committee (Ranking Member Brian Schatz (HI)), and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (CT)).

Senate Appropriations Committee (Ranking Member Patty Murray (WA)) is only three percent Black and Senate Foreign Relations Committee (Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (NH)) is only six percent Black.

See below for five of the charts and click here for the full analysis with over 20 charts. This analysis was done by Joint Center Senior Researcher, Dr. Lashonda Brenson.

“Efforts such as the Senate Democratic Diversity Initiative continue to promote transparency within the Senate Democrats and allow for a space to utilize the data to encourage more diversity in the hiring of Senate staff,” said Joint Center Senior Researcher Dr. LaShonda Brenson, who has conducted this analysis since 2019. “However, the data continues to reveal gaps. Nine Democratic committees report having no Black staff at all, an increase from six last year, and only two senators saw Black staff increase by more than five points from 2025. While we applaud the Senate Democrats for releasing this data each year, diverse hiring practices are a step in the right direction to help influence policy and decision-making to ensure communities of color are being heard by their elected officials. We continue to urge senators to prioritize diversity in hiring staff to better represent their constituents.”

“Implementing the necessary tools and infrastructure needed to support equitable hiring practices, including a Senate-wide diversity plan, will help build a staff with stronger Black representation. The Senate as an institution has always failed to have a Senate that reflects the share of Black demographic representation, even with the record breaking 5 Black senators currently in the office. This failure of representation in elected officials should not be duplicated in Senate staffing,” said Joint Center President Dedrick Asante-Muhammad.

Senate Democrats should disaggregate data by job title, in addition to race and ethnicity, 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.

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); Racial & Ethnic Representation Among Top Staff in the U.S. House of Representatives (2025); and Unrepresented: Black and Latino Leadership Among Senate Committee Top Staff (2026).

###

About the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

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.