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Auberon Waugh
This is a list of Buddhist members of the United States Congress.
As of 2025, four Buddhists have been elected to Congress, the first being both Mazie Hirono and Hank Johnson in 2007. As of the 119th Congress, three Buddhists currently serve in Congress, two in the House of Representatives and one in the Senate. All being members of the Democratic Party.[1]
Senate
| Senator | Party | State | Term | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Length of service | ||||||
|
Mazie Hirono | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 2013 | Incumbent | 12 years, 119 days | First Buddhist senator[2][3] | |
House of Representatives
| Representative | Party | District | Term | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Length of service | ||||||
|
Mazie Hirono | Democratic | HI-02 | January 3, 2007 | January 3, 2013 | 6 years, 0 days | One of the first two Buddhists in Congress. Retired to run successfully for U.S. Senator from Hawaii.[2][3] | |
|
Hank Johnson | Democratic | GA-04 | January 3, 2007 | Incumbent | 18 years, 119 days | One of the first two Buddhists in Congress[4] | |
|
Colleen Hanabusa | Democratic | HI-01 | January 3, 2011 | January 3, 2015 | 4 years, 0 days |
Retired to run unsuccessfully for U.S. Senator from Hawaii.[5] | |
| November 14, 2016 | January 3, 2019 | 2 years, 50 days | Elected in special election to succeed Mark Takai, who died in office Retired to run unsuccessfully for governor of Hawaii | |||||
|
Derek Tran | Democratic | CA-45 | January 3, 2025 | Incumbent | 119 days | [6] | |
See also
- List of Hindu members of the United States Congress
- List of Jewish members of the United States Congress
- List of Mormon members of the United States Congress
- List of Muslim members of the United States Congress
- List of Quaker members of the United States Congress
- List of Asian Americans and Pacific Islands Americans in the United States Congress
References
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Pew 119thwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Buddhists Get the Vote". Manitoba Buddhist Temple. November 5, 2010. Archived from the original on July 12, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ a b Camire, Dennis (January 5, 2007). "What happened to ... religious tolerance". Honolulu Advertiser. Gannett Company. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
- ^ Tilove, Jonathan. "New Congress Brings with It Religious Firsts". Newhouse News Service. Archived from the original on December 19, 2006.
- ^ "Faith on the Hill: The Religious Composition of the 114th Congress". Pew Research Center. January 5, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
The number of Buddhists in Congress fell from three to two, as Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, D-Hawaii, lost her bid for a Senate seat.
- ^ Dioamant, Jeff (January 2, 2025). "Faith on the Hill". Pew Research Center. Retrieved January 3, 2025.