Congress  Make-Up  from Year 1855-to-Present

From 1989 to 2011 . . .

StartYear EndYear Congress Re-Election Party Seat

 NOTES:
          # Rate Retention Rate

 
1989 1991 101 90.1% 99.6%

 
1991 1993 102 87.7% 98.3%

 
1993 1995 103 73.6% 98.1%

 
1995 1997 104 79.8% 88.2%

 
1997 1999 105 77.4% 98.7%

 
1999 2001 106 89.9% 99.3%

 
2001 2003 107 88.2% 98.7%

 
2003 2005 108 87.9% 98.1%

65 voted out
2005 2007 109 88.6% 98.7%

61 voted out
2007 2009 110 84.9% 93.1%

81 voted out: (68 (=16(D)+51(R)+1(I) in the House)) + (13 (=3(D)+9(R)+1(I) in the Senate))
2009 2011 111 86.9% 94.0%

70 voted out: (57 (=13(D)+44(R) in the House)) + (13 (=3(D)+10(R) in the Senate))
  AVERAGE= 85.0% 96.8%

 

Average Party Seat Retention rate between 2009 and 2011:   93.3%
Average Party Seat Retention rate between 2007 and 2009:   93.1%
Average Party Seat Retention rate between 2000 and 2006:   97.6%
Average Party Seat Retention rate between 1996 and 2006:   96.4%
Average Party Seat Retention rate between 1980 and 2006:   96.5%
Average Party Seat Retention rate between 1855 and 2006:   91.2%

Voters give Congress dismal 11% to 18% approval ratings, but then do a very strange thing:  Reward Congress with 85% (or higher) re-election rates.

During a portion of the Great Depression (38.8% (206 of 531) of the incumbents were ousted in year 1933) . . .

StartYear EndYear Congress Re-Election Party Seat  NOTES (voters obviously grew increasingly unhappy between 1927 and 1935):
        # Rate Retention Rate
1927 1929 70 th 83.6% 96.4% 87 voted out
1929 1931 71 st 79.7% 92.5% 108 voted out
1931 1933 72 nd 76.8% 88.5% 123 voted out
1933 1935 73 rd 61.2% 78.7% 206 voted out (59 Democrats, 147 Republicans)

In year 1933, unhappy voters ousted 206 Congress persons (i.e 38.8%=206/531) from Congress (or 44.1% =206/[435 + (96/3)], since only one-third of the Senate is up for re-election every 6 years, considering there were only 96 Senators in year 1933, and the same number of Representatives as today (i.e. 435), for a total of 531 Congress persons in year 1933).

Eventually, enough voters will most likely do it again and vote out record numbers of incumbent politicians from do-nothing Congress again, when the consequences of repeatedly rewarding irresponsible incumbent politicians with perpetual re-election finally becomes too painful.  Already, these 17+ economic conditions are now worse then ever and/or since the 1930s and 1940s, due to the perpetuation of these 10+ abuses for the past 30+ years (abuses that did not all come about by mere coincidence).  Perhaps enough voters will finally question the wisdom and habit of repeatedly rewarding irresponsible incumbent politicians with perpetual re-election when enough voters are jobless, homeless, and hungry?   Pain and misery is often the final lesson and self-correction mechanism.  Pain and misery is one of the most effective types of motivation and education.

    Senate House PARTY SEAT RE-
Congress Years Total Dems Reps Others Vacant Total Dems Reps Others Vacant TENTION RATE
34th 1855–1857 62 42 15 5 0 234 83 108 43 0  
35th 1857–1859 64 39 20 5 0 237 131 92 14 0 82.4%
36th 1859–1861 66 38 26 2 0 237 101 113 23 0 88.1%
37th 1861–1863 50 11 31 7 1 178 42 106 28 2 62.3%
38th 1863–1865 51 12 39 0 0 183 80 103 0 0 80.3%
39th 1865–1867 52 10 42 0 0 191 46 145 0 0 81.5%
40th 1867–1869 53 11 42 0 0 193 49 143 0 1 98.4%
41st 1869–1871 74 11 61 0 2 243 73 170 0 0 85.5%
42nd 1871–1873 74 17 57 0 0 243 104 139 0 0 88.3%
43rd 1873–1875 74 19 54 0 1 293 88 203 0 2 81.7%
44th 1875–1877 76 29 46 0 1 293 181 107 3 2 71.3%
45th 1877–1879 76 36 39 1 0 293 156 137 0 0 90.0%
46th 1879–1881 76 43 33 0 0 293 150 128 14 1 94.3%
47th 1881–1883 76 37 37 2 0 293 130 152 11 0 91.9%
48th 1883–1885 76 36 40 0 0 325 200 119 6 0 81.8%
49th 1885–1887 76 34 41 0 1 325 182 140 2 1 94.3%
50th 1887–1889 76 37 39 0 0 325 170 151 4 0 96.3%
51st 1889–1891 84 37 47 0 0 330 156 173 1 0 92.8%
52nd 1891–1893 88 39 47 2 0 333 231 88 14 0 79.3%
53rd 1893–1895 88 44 38 3 3 356 220 126 10 0 89.4%
54th 1895–1897 88 39 44 5 0 357 104 246 7 0 71.7%
55th 1897–1899 90 34 46 10 0 357 134 206 16 1 89.9%
56th 1899–1901 90 26 53 11 0 357 163 185 9 0 91.7%
57th 1901–1903 90 29 56 3 2 357 153 198 5 1 95.3%
58th 1903–1905 90 32 58 0 0 386 178 207 0 1 94.1%
59th 1905–1907 90 32 58 0 0 386 136 250 0 0 91.0%
60th 1907–1909 92 29 61 0 2 386 164 222 0 0 93.5%
61st 1909–1911 92 32 59 0 1 391 172 219 0 0 97.7%
62nd 1911–1913 92 42 49 0 1 391 228 162 1 0 86.1%
63rd 1913–1915 96 51 44 1 0 435 290 127 18 0 86.6%
64th 1915–1917 96 56 39 1 0 435 231 193 8 3 86.6%
65th 1917–1919 96 53 42 1 0 435 210 216 9 0 95.1%
66th 1919–1921 96 47 48 1 0 435 191 237 7 0 94.9%
67th 1921–1923 96 37 59 0 0 435 132 300 1 2 86.1%
68th 1923–1925 96 43 51 2 0 435 207 225 3 0 84.4%
69th 1925–1927 96 40 54 1 1 435 183 247 5 0 94.9%
70th 1927–1929 96 47 48 1 0 435 195 237 3 0 96.4%
71st 1929–1931 96 39 56 1 0 435 163 267 1 4 92.5%
72nd 1931–1933 96 47 48 1 0 435 216 218 1 0 88.5%
73rd 1933–1935 96 59 36 1 0 435 313 117 5 0 78.7%
74th 1935–1937 96 69 25 2 0 435 322 103 10 0 95.3%
75th 1937–1939 96 75 17 4 0 435 333 89 13 0 95.9%
76th 1939–1941 96 69 23 4 0 435 262 169 4 0 83.8%
77th 1941–1943 96 66 28 2 0 435 267 162 6 0 97.7%
78th 1943–1945 96 57 38 1 0 435 222 209 4 0 89.3%
79th 1945–1947 96 57 38 1 0 435 243 190 2 0 96.0%
80th 1947–1949 96 45 51 0 0 435 188 246 1 0 87.0%
81st 1949–1951 96 54 42 0 0 435 263 171 1 0 84.2%
82nd 1951–1953 96 48 47 1 0 435 234 199 2 0 93.4%
83rd 1953–1955 96 46 48 2 0 435 213 221 1 0 95.5%
84th 1955–1957 96 48 47 1 0 435 232 203 0 0 96.0%
85th 1957–1959 96 49 47 0 0 435 234 201 0 0 99.4%
86th 1959–1961 98 64 34 0 0 436 283 153 0 0 88.0%
87th 1961–1963 100 64 36 0 0 437 262 175 0 0 95.5%
88th 1963–1965 100 67 33 0 0 435 258 176 0 1 98.7%
89th 1965–1967 100 68 32 0 0 435 295 140 0 0 92.9%
90th 1967–1969 100 64 36 0 0 435 248 187 0 0 90.5%
91st 1969–1971 100 58 42 0 0 435 243 192 0 0 97.9%
92nd 1971–1973 100 54 44 2 0 435 255 180 0 0 97.0%
93rd 1973–1975 100 56 42 2 0 435 242 192 1 0 97.2%
94th 1975–1977 100 61 37 2 0 435 291 144 0 0 89.9%
95th 1977–1979 100 61 38 1 0 435 292 143 0 0 99.6%
96th 1979–1981 100 58 41 1 0 435 277 158 0 0 96.6%
97th 1981–1983 100 46 53 1 0 435 242 192 1 0 91.2%
98th 1983–1985 100 46 54 0 0 435 269 166 0 0 94.8%
99th 1985–1987 100 47 53 0 0 435 253 182 0 0 96.8%
100th 1987–1989 100 55 45 0 0 435 258 177 0 0 97.6%
101st 1989–1991 100 55 45 0 0 435 260 175 0 0 99.6%
102nd 1991–1993 100 56 44 0 0 435 267 167 1 0 98.3%
103rd 1993–1995 100 57 43 0 0 435 258 176 1 0 98.1%
104th 1995–1997 100 48 52 0 0 435 204 230 1 0 88.2%
105th 1997–1999 100 45 55 0 0 435 207 226 2 0 98.7%
106th 1999–2001 100 45 55 0 0 435 211 223 1 0 99.3%
107th 2001–2003 100 50 50 0 0 435 212 221 2 0 98.7%
108th 2003–2005 100 48 51 1 0 435 205 229 1 0 98.1%
109th 2005-2007 100 44 55 1 0 435 202 231 1 1 98.7%
110th 2007-2009 100 49 49 2 0 435 233 202 0 0 93.1%
111th 2009-2011 100 56 42 1 0 435 257 177 2 0 94.0%

NOTE:   7 seats are still To Be Determined (TBD) for the 111th Congress due to some resignations, appointments, and recounts.
      

United States Congresses   
   
    1 (1789) 11 (1809) 21 (1829) 31 (1849) 41 (1869) 51 (1889) 61 (1909) 71 (1929) 81 (1949) 91 (1969) 101 (1989) 111 (2009)
2 (1791) 12 (1811) 22 (1831) 32 (1851) 42 (1871) 52 (1891) 62 (1911) 72 (1931) 82 (1951) 92 (1971) 102 (1991) 112 (2011)
3 (1793) 13 (1813) 23 (1833) 33 (1853) 43 (1873) 53 (1893) 63 (1913) 73 (1933)