Members of the 111th United States Congress

Each state elects two senators in the Senate of the United States. By 1913, the senators were determined by the parliaments of the individual states. From 1913 required the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that Senators are elected directly by the population of each state.

The term of office of the Senate of the 111th Congress, whose members had emerged to one-third of the Senate election on 4 November 2008, began on 3 January 2009; its inaugural meeting it convened on January 6, 2009.

Party system

After the 2008 election the Democratic group first 58 and the Republican faction consisted of 41 members of the Senate. On 28 April 2009 the former Republican Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania announced publicly with his move to the Democrats. One of the two seats from Minnesota had been vacant for six months because we have not processed by a tight result for the validity of the vote. The Supreme Court of the State of Minnesota finally dismissed the case of Norm Coleman, whereupon the Governor Tim Pawlenty signed the certificate of appointment for Al Franken and this was sworn in on 7 July 2009. Thus the ratio between the factions was now 60 to 40 in favor of the Democrats. This meant that the Democrats were able to prevent the prevention of a decision by filibuster by the Republicans in a closed vote of all members of the Group, for which a three-fifths majority ( super Majority ) is required.

With the death of Senator Edward Kennedy, the number of Senate seats in the Democratic group was reduced to 59; after the appointment of Paul G. Kirk to succeed Kennedy she was again in the meantime, since the 60th Republican Scott Brown in Massachusetts but then won the necessary by-election 19 January 2010 against the Democratic candidate Martha Coakley and was sworn in on February 4, 2010 the Democrats lost this seat in the Senate and their " super majority ". By the death of Robert Byrd, the number of members of the Senate for a short time fell again in June 2010 to 99 and the number of members of the Democratic faction to 58 His successor, Democrat Carte Goodwin was sworn in on 20 July 2010. Robert Byrd and place - At the election on November 2, 2010 took place the official election for the former seats of Joe Biden - the senator from Delaware had resigned his seat after his election to the U.S. Vice President. As with Chris Coons and Joe Manchin two Democrats won these seats, at first nothing changed on the group strength in the Senate. Furthermore, a new senator was elected for the former seat of Barack Obama: For the Office -down in January 2009, U.S. President Roland Burris had been appointed under dubious circumstances by Governor Rod Blagojevich to the Senator for Illinois. Burris did not start at the by-election, which was won by Republican Mark Kirk. After he took office on 29 November 2010, the ratio of the fraction of the starches was until the end of the session 58:42.

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont belonged to no party, but was a member of the democratic faction. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut withdrew in 2008 as an independent candidate in the Senate one, after he had lost the internal party Democratic primary in his state, but remained a member of the Democratic Party and was also part of the Group of Democrats.

Important positions

List of Senators

* In each case the end of the current term of office, without taking account of subsequent re- elections.