{"id":8391,"date":"2022-06-09T14:59:26","date_gmt":"2022-06-09T19:59:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/%year%\/%monthnum%\/%day%\/some-members-of-congress-have-been-there-for-decades-but-seats-typically-change-hands-more-frequently\/"},"modified":"2025-04-23T23:55:53","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T03:55:53","slug":"some-members-of-congress-have-been-there-for-decades-but-seats-typically-change-hands-more-frequently","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/06\/09\/some-members-of-congress-have-been-there-for-decades-but-seats-typically-change-hands-more-frequently\/","title":{"rendered":"Some members of Congress have been there for decades, but seats typically change hands more frequently"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Speaker
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi administers the oath of office to members on Capitol Hill at the opening session on Jan. 3, 2021. (Erin Scott-Pool\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This fall\u2019s midterm elections could make the next Congress look very different from the current one. Redistricting changes and a slew of retirements mean there will be dozens of new faces on Capitol Hill come Jan. 3 \u2013 aside from the question of which party will control the new House and Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then again, Congress\u2019 membership turns over a lot faster than many people might realize, especially if their image of the national legislature is set by top leaders like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (82 years old, in the House since 1987) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (80 years old, first elected to the Senate in 1984, and the 15th-longest-serving senator<\/a> ever). Those high-profile, long-tenured lawmakers are more the exception than the rule.<\/p>\n\n\n

How we did this<\/div>