There are currently 278 Republicans in both the House and Senate.
Every single one of them is a Christian.
Just 23 are women.
There is one African-American. That African-American, Tim Scott of South Carolina, was not elected. He was appointed to fill a vacant seat by the state’s governor.
In fact, the only black Republicans to Congress since 1900 have been Oscar De Priest of Illinois, Gary Franks of Connecticut, Tim Scott of South Carolina, J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, and Allen West of Florida.
Five black Republicans have been elected to Congress in the past in 114 years.
I had no idea.
I am not a Republican, but if the Republicans hope to have any influence over the political system in a near future where whites are no longer in the majority and the country is vastly more diverse, they will need to find a way to elect non-white, more religiously diverse members to Congress.
They need to find a way to do so today. While the Democrats demographics are not exactly admirable, of the 255 Democrats currently in Congress:
- 101 are women
- 43 are African Americans
- 36 are non-Christians
Nothing to brag about, but also not appalling.
I still can’t believe these numbers.
