119th Congress inches towards diversity but it is still disproportionately white

CAPAC

The leadership of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus of the 119the Congress
 were recently sworn in by Judge Sri Srinivasan.

The US Congress hardly represents America. 

There are more Asian American members of Congress than ever before but their representation in the Senate and  House of Representatives make up only 4% of Congress members enven though AANHPI make up 7% of the population of the United States.  No current voting members are Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

At first glance, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center finds that just over a quarter (26%) of voting members in the United States. Congress identify as a race or ethnicity other than non-Hispanic White, making the 119th Congress the most racially and ethnically diverse to date. 

Though it may trouble white supremacists, the increasing diversity is a continuation of a long-running trend, this is the eighth Congress to break the record set by the one before it but it far from reflecting the people of the US. 

Nevertheless, although not totally representative, the current racial composition of this Congress is an improvement. In 1981, 94% of congressional lawmakers were White, compared to with 80% of the US population.

FYI: Read the entire Pew analysis

In 2025, the US population is 42% nonwhite, according tot he US Census Bureau. Though the White population of the US makes up 58% of the total population, they make up 74% of the Congress.

Largely through a high rate of immigration, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders make up about 7% of the US population, according to the US Census.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Of the two Congressional bodies, the House is the least representative. In all, only 28% of House members are Asian, Black, Hispanic, or Native American, the same as in the previous Congress. No current voting members are Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

Except for Young Kim, who represent's the 118th Congressional District in Southern California, the rest of the 20 other AANHPI members of Congress are Democrats.

RELATED: Rep. Grace Lee named new chair CAPAC

The  House includes five representatives who are of mixed race – all Democrats. These five are counted in each racial or ethnic group they identify with, but once in our overall total:

• Virginia Rep. Bobby Scott and Washington Rep. Marilyn Strickland are Black and Asian. Scott is the only lawmaker of Filipino descent in the US Congress. Strickland is the first Black lawmaker to represent her state at the federal level, as well as one of the first Korean American women elected to Congress.
• Florida Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost and New York Reps. Ritchie Torres and Adriano Espallait identify as Black and Hispanic.

In addition to voting members of the House, there are six nonvoting delegates who represent U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. Among these nonvoting delegates, two are Black, two are Asian/Pacific Islander, one is Hispanic and one identifies as both Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander.

THE SENATE

In the 100-member US Senate, the math is easier but the disparity between members and the general population  is just as bad as the House. 

Fifteen senators, or 15%, are racial or ethnic minorities, an improvement from 12 in the 118th Congress. Three senators are Asian, six  senators are Hispanic, five are Black,  and one is Native American. Twelve of the 15 Senate members are Democrats. The other four are Republicans.

The three Asian Senators are Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and freshman Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey. All three are Democrats. Together, they make up only 3% of the Senate, far below the national Asian American population of 7%.

Of the 15 senators are racial or ethnic minorities, 12 are Democrats. The other three are Republicans.

In both chambers of Congress, it is easy to see that the vast majority of racial or ethnic minorities are Democrats. One can surmise that the values of the Democratric Party are more attractive to the majority of the Asian, Black and Hispanic lawmakers.

The next chance to change these percentages in the House and Senate to make them more reflective of the US population will be in the 2028 midterms.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X or at the blog Views From the Edge.