Senate Catholics are a diverse lot. Numbering 17 and representing less than 20% of the 100 men and women serving in the U.S. Senate, they seem to have less influence than Roman Catholics serving in the House of Representatives when comparing their numbers and power in the committee system. However, like Catholics in the House, Senate Catholics tend to be more liberal than non-Catholic senators.
Eight Catholic Senators are Republican and nine are Democrat. This is a much closer division than in the House where 78% of Catholics are Democratic. Probably the most famous Catholic serving in the Senate is Edward “Ted” Kennedy (D-Massachusetts). Ted and his two brothers, John and Robert have served their home state since John was first elected in 1952. The most noted Republican of the group is probably Jeremiah Denton (R-Alabama). He was elected to the Senate in 1980. A former prisoner of war in Vietnam, Senator Denton is remembered for his triumphant return to America after seven years of captivity. He is the author of the book, When Hell was in Session. Both men, Kennedy and Denton are also likely to be the most ideologically committed of Catholic Senators. Kennedy is the darling of the liberal-left of the Democratic Party. Denton is the Catholic leader for the family issues agenda of the conservative-right.
It is interesting to immediately note that there are more Episcopalians serving in the Senate than Catholics. This is the opposite of what exists in the House where Catholics are the largest religious group. 20 Senators designate themselves as Episcopalians. Right behind Catholics are Methodists with 15, Baptists and Presbyterians with 9 each, and 8 Senators who are Jewish.
The members who designate themselves as Roman Catholic are:
Jeremiah Denton (R-Alabama)
Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska)
Dennis DeConcini (D-Arizona)
Chrisopher Dodd (D-Connecticut)
Joseph Biden (D-Delaware)
George Mitchell (D-Maine)
Edward Kennedy (D-Massachusetts)
David Durenberger (R-Minnesota)
Thomas Eagleton (D-Missouri)
John Melcher (D-Montana)
Paul Laxalt (R-Nevada)
Pete Domenici (R-New Mexico)
Daniel Moynihan (D-New York)
Alfonse D’Amato (R-New York)
Don Nickles (R-Oklahoma)
Larry Pressler (R-South Dakota)
Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont)
Two observations can be made from looking at this list. First, Senate Catholics represent every geographical area of the nation. Less than 50% represent the northeast¬midwest industrial states. Second, in one state, New York, both Senators are Catholic. New York joins three other states which have both Senators of the same denomination (Episcopals in Virginia and Rhode Island, and Mormons in Utah). Both California Senators claim to be non¬denominational Protestant.
Turning to the Senate hierarchy, no Catholics serve as officers of the Senate. The Vice-President and President of the Senate, George Bush, is Episcopal: Strom Thurmond (R-South Carolina), President Pro Tempore (President of the Senate when Bush is not in attendance) is Baptist. Even the Senate Chaplain is not Catholic. He’s a Presbyterian. Of course, so is Majority Leader Howard Baker (R-Tennessee). Baker’s assistant, Assistant Majority Leader Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) is Episcopal. The other two Republican leadership officers, John Tower (R-Texas), Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, is Methodist and James McClure (R-Idaho), Chairman of the Republican Conference of the Senate, is Presbyterian. Both minority officers, Minority Leader Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia) and his Democratic Whip, Alan Cranston (D-California) are Protestant. Byrd is Baptist and Cranston describes himself as Non-denominational Protestant.
It is difficult to measure the exact influence of Catholics in the Senate Committee system. In the House of Representatives the task of assessing influence is easier because the formal committee structure dominates legislation. Further, the House has a “germane rule” which prohibits an individual member from offering non-topical legislation to bills being considered on the House floor. The Senate, however, does not follow the rigid committee process and does not have such a restrictive rule. Senators may circumvent the process and offer their language to any bill being considered. An example of this type of action is having anti-abortion language attached to a bill concerning wildlife habitat. Therefore Senators may have actually more influence in the legislative process than their committee assignments indicate. Of course, they may also have less influence. Statistically, the latter view seems to be the current reality.
On the whole, Catholics do not fare well in the Senate Committee system. Catholics are chairmen of only one out of 16 Committees, and have 18 Subcommittee Chairmanships out of a total of 88. Catholic influence appears rather minimal.
Persons of other religions hold more chairmanships than Catholics. Pete Domenici, who is Chairman of the Budget Committee, is the only Catholic. By contrast, four Chairmanships are held by Episcopalians, 3 by Baptists and 2 by Methodists.
Additionally, on a number of Senate Committees, Catholics have only one or two members on the whole committee. These committees include:
Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Armed Services
Banking, Housing and Urban Development
Commerce, Science and Transportation
Government Affairs, and
Rules and Administration
There are no Catholic Republicans on the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, the Armed Services Committee and the Rules and Administration Committee. Likewise, no Catholic Democrats serve on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and the Small Business Committee which has three Catholic Republicans.
The three committees with the most Catholic members are the Appropriations Committee with six (3 Republicans, 3 Democrats), the Judicary Committee with six (2 Republicans, 4 Democrats) and the Labor and Human Resources Committee with five (2 Republicans and 3 Democrats). On no committee do Catholics represent a majority of members.
Further, on the Subcommittee level, Catholics also hold few chairmanships. On two committees, Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and Armed Services, there are no Catholic Subcommittee Chairmen.. On four other committees, including Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science and Transportation; and Environment and Public Works, one Catholic chairs a Subcommittee. On the important Appropriations Committee, which has thirteen subcommittees, Catholics are chairmen of two: Alfonse D’Amato chairs the Legislative Branch Subcommittee and Paul Laxalt chairs the Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary Subcommittee.
The two Catholics with the most assignments on standing committees appear to be Pete Domenici and Dennis DeConcini with four each. Edward Kennedy has two committee assignments and Jeremiah Denton has three. The majority of Catholic Senators have three assignments.
The Senate, like the House, also has select and special committees. The same pattern of minimal Catholic influence appears in the nine currently authorized. Five of the Select and Special Committees are political in nature. Four are not.
The Democratic Policy Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have no Catholics as officers. In fact, only two Catholics serve on the sixteen member policy committee. Four Catholics serve on the ten member Senatorial Committee.
The three political Republican committees are equally lacking in Catholic members. The Chairman of the Senatorial Committee, Richard Lugar (R-Indiana), is Methodist. There are, however, five Catholics on the 16 member committee. The Republican Conference of the Senate has no Catholics as officers. The Republican Policy Committee, which determines official positions on legislation, has only one Catholic listed out of 22 Senators.
The four non-political Select and Special Committees continues to reflect the minimal influence of Catholics. Two serve on the six member Select Committee on Ethics; three serve on the seven member Select Committee on Indian Affairs; four serve on the seventeen member Select Committee on Intelligence. David Moynihan is the Vice- Chairman of that committee.
The lack of Catholics holding more powerful positions on Senate Committees can be partially explained by their seniority. On the majority side of the isle, no Catholic appears on the top fifteen most senior senators. Half of Republican Catholics were elected with President Reagan in 1980. On the minority side, 78% of Catholics were elected before 1980. However, only 2 Catholics appear in the top fifteen most senior Democrats. The most senior Catholic is Ted Kennedy who was sworn in on November 7, 1962. The most senior Republican is Pete Domenici. He was sworn in on January 3, 1973.
Ideologically, Senate Catholics are similar to House Catholics. Senate Catholic Republicans are a bit less conservative than non-Catholic Republicans. Senate Catholic Democrats are much more liberal than non- Catholic Democrats. This can be shown by comparing voting records and ratings tabulated by two ideological groups, the politically right-of-center American Conservative Union (ACU) and the politically left-of-center Americans for Democratic Action (ADA). The comparisons are made for the 97th Congress, the most current available figures:
Republicans       ACU*   Democrats         ADA*
Catholics             74%       Catholics             82%
Non-Catholics   75%       Non-Catholics   66%
Average              75%       Average              69%
(* a 100% means complete agreement with the philosophical view of the organization on issues.)
As true for the Senate, as well as the House, the Catholic Church does not have its own rating system so it is extremely difficult to look specifically at how Catholics vote on Catholic issues.
Catholics do not dominate the Senate the way they do the House. Greater study of Catholic influence in the Senate must be undertaken to more accurately judge the influence of faith on works. Catholic Senators do, however, have an opportunity to demonstrate to the over 51 million Catholics in America that their faith makes a significant difference in their daily duties.