n January, the 119th Congress will begin its work following a politically charged election season marked by historic milestones. These include the election of two Black women as U.S. senators, significant shifts in the electorate’s demographics, and the nomination of the first Black and Asian woman to run for president on a major-party ticket.
Amid this changing political landscape, both new and returning members of Congress will face critical issues that impact an increasingly diverse nation. Achieving their policy goals and addressing the needs of their varied constituencies will heavily rely on how effectively congressional staff can represent, understand, and provide solutions to the challenges confronting the country.
However, a report from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in 2023 reveals a troubling gap in diversity among top congressional staff. While non-white individuals make up 41.1 percent of the U.S. population, they hold only 15.8 percent of top staff positions in U.S. Senate personal offices. A similar 2022 report found that people of color represent just 18 percent of top staff in the House of Representatives. This disparity is driving the Joint Center’s congressional hiring campaign, launched to track the racial composition of top staff hires among both newly elected and returning members of Congress.
