SenatorOdds of Getting In

If you want to be a Senator, you might move to a state with a smaller population. Each state gets only two Senators, so the odds in Delaware will be a lot more favorable than in Texas.

The average length of service for a Senator is 11 years, or nearly two full terms. Only 15% of the total Senate membership was seated during the last election.

We do know that certain kinds of people have been more likely to hold a Senate seat:

• Ninety-nine percent have religious affiliations (like the country, Protestant is the most popular);
• Most Senators are men (to be fair, women weren't even allowed to vote for most of the country's history, but only 17 Senators are women)
• Only six African-Americans hav e served in the Senate (The first was a freed slave named Hiram Revels and the most recent was poor Roland Burris, who was actually appointed to fill the shoes of the first African-American to become Senator, Barack Obama, and who only lasted until the following election);
• Only five have been Asian;
• Only seven have been Hispanic;
• Only three have been Native American

There is one other fact that will greatly increase your odds: not many people want your job.