ALBERT J. MENENDEZ
United Methodist News Service
There are 43 United Methodists serving in the 114th Congress, a decline of two from the 113th Congress.
In the Senate, United Methodists increased from nine to 10, while the denomination’s presence in the House decreased from 36 to 33.
Three new United Methodists will serve in the 114th Congress, all of them Republicans from Georgia. They include Sen. David Perdue and Reps. Rick Allen and Buddy Carter.
Republicans outnumber Democrats 31 to 12 among United Methodists, which is similar to the partisan division in the previous Congress.
Texas has the largest number of United Methodists with eight, followed by five from Georgia, four from Kansas and three from Florida and Ohio. Kansas has the highest Methodist percentage in its delegation (four out of six). Both U.S. Senators from Georgia and Kansas are United Methodist Republicans.
The South and its border states are home to 27 Methodists, while 10 represent states of the Midwest and five in the West. There is one United Methodist member in New England. There is at least one United Methodist member in 21 states, while 29 states have none.
United Methodists remain in third place in congressional religious affiliations, behind first place Roman Catholics and second place Baptists, which has been the pattern since 1994.
United Methodist governors include Republicans Phil Bryant of Mississippi, Nikki Haley of South Carolina and Rick Scott of Florida. There are also three United Methodist Democraftic governors, Jan Nixon of Missouri, Earl Ray Tomblin of West Virginia and newly-elected Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania.
For more analysis, click here for a Religion News Service feature listing seven ways the religious makeup of Congress will (and won’t) change.
Last Updated on February 2, 2024