The Joint Center Releases New Analysis of Black and Latina/o Representation Among Senate Committee Top Staff

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2026

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

The Joint Center Releases New Analysis of Black and Latina/o Representation Among Senate Committee Top Staff
New report examines racial and ethnic diversity among Senate committee staff directors, deputy staff directors, chief counsels, general counsels, and policy directors.

​​WASHINGTON — A new report from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies finds that Black and Latina/o Americans remain significantly underrepresented among top staff positions in U.S. Senate committee offices despite modest gains in overall diversity since the organization’s previous analysis.

The report, Unrepresented: Black and Latino Leadership Among Senate Committee Top Staff, examines racial and ethnic diversity among Senate committee staff directors, deputy staff directors, chief counsels, general counsels, and policy directors as of March 31, 2026. The analysis found that while people of color make up 42.6 percent of the U.S. population, they account for only 22.0 percent of Senate committee top staff positions.

“The staff who lead Senate committee offices help shape legislation, advise lawmakers, conduct oversight, and influence policy outcomes that affect millions of Americans,” said Dr. LaShonda Brenson, Senior Researcher at the Joint Center and author of the report. “While we have seen some progress in overall diversity among Senate committee leadership positions, Black and Latina/o staffers remain significantly underrepresented in many of the roles that carry the greatest influence. These findings underscore the need for greater transparency and intentional efforts to ensure leadership pipelines reflect the diversity of the nation.”

Among the report’s findings:

• People of color account for only 18.9 percent of Senate committee staff directors.

• Black Americans represent 11.9 percent of the U.S. population but only 2.7 percent of Senate committee staff directors.

• There are currently no Latina/o Senate committee staff directors.

• Among Senate committee top staff positions outside of staff director, only 23.3 percent are held by people of color.

• While overall diversity among top committee staff has increased since 2021, Black representation has remained largely stagnant in several key leadership positions.

The report also found that people of color are underrepresented among both Democratic and Republican Senate committee staff leadership positions. While diversity has increased in some roles since the Joint Center’s previous analysis, representation gaps remain substantial across many of the Senate’s most influential staff positions.

Since the Joint Center’s 2015 Racial Diversity Among Top Senate Staff Report, Congress has taken essential steps to improve transparency and staff diversity. For the past decade, Senate Democrats led both chambers by releasing racial/ ethnic data about the staff in Democratic Senators’ personal and committee offices. In future reports, Senate Democrats should disclose data on diversity by position. This would reveal which senators have diversity in critical mid-level positions that serve as pipelines to top positions. To date, Senate Republicans have yet to publicly release any data on the diversity of their staffs.

“Top staff play a critical role in determining which issues receive attention, how policies are developed, and whose perspectives are represented in the policymaking process,” said Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, President of the Joint Center. “A Senate that benefits from a wider range of experiences and perspectives is better positioned to develop policies that serve all Americans. This report highlights both areas of progress and the significant work that remains to ensure opportunity and representation at the highest levels of congressional staffing.”

The report examines diversity among top Senate committee staff and compares representation levels across positions, political parties, and demographic groups.

The full report is available here.

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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.