The Senate The 50 states elect 2 senators each for staggered 6- year terms. A senator represents between 1 and 37 million people, depending on their state’s population. The day-to-day activities of the Senate are controlled largely by the political party holding the most seats, called the “majority party.“ Here is a count of senators by party: Republicans 52 Democrats 46 Independents 2 Total 100 The House of Representatives The states are also divided into 435 congressional districts with a population of about 710,000 each. Each district elects a representative to the House of Representatives for a 2-year term. As in the Senate, the day-to-day activities of the House are controlled by the “majority party.“ Here is a count of representatives by party: Republicans 241 Democrats 194 Total 435 In addition, the District of Columbia and the U.S.’s five island territories each send a non-voting delegate to the House. Puerto Rico’s delegate is called the Resident Commissioner.
