Press Releases Legislative Alerts Congressional Ratings Heroes and Enemies Maps Email ATR Site Map Search
Home Press National Issues State Issues The Pledge Special Projects Get Active Join Donate
Legislative Alerts
Open Letters
National Projects
Cost of Government Day
Congressional Caucuses
Legislative Advisory Project
Congressional Ratings
K Street Project
National Issue Areas
Speeches and Testimony
Join ATR
Take Action!
Search ATR
Get Acrobat Reader

POLICY BRIEF FROM AMERICANS FOR TAX REFORM

[View Printable Adobe Acrobat File]

Nepotism

Right now there are 15 members of Congress that stepped directly into seats held by an immediate family member.  Four of the legacy seats are held by widows, eight by sons, two by daughters and one seat is held by a brother of the former seat-holder.  Of these 15 seats, five are held by Republicans, ten are held by Democrats, 13 of the seats are in the House of Representatives and two are in the Senate. 

Currently in Congress:

Rep. Mary Bono (R-CA)

  1. Widow of Sonny Bono, U.S. representative from California 1995-1998

Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA)

  1. Widow of Walter Capps, U.S. representative from California 1997

Rep. William L. "Lacy" Clay Jr. (D-MO)

  1. Son of William J. "Bill" Clay, U.S. representative from Missouri 1969-2001

Rep. John D. Dingell, Jr. (D-MI)

  1. Son of John D. Dingell, Sr., U.S. representative from Michigan, 1933–1955.

Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. (R-TN)

  1. Son of John J. Duncan Sr., U.S. representative from Tennessee 1965-1988

Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO)

  1. Widow of Bill Emerson, U.S. representative from Missouri 1981-1996

Rep. Charlie Gonzalez (D-TX)

  1. Son of Henry B. Gonzalez, U.S. representative from Texas 1961-1998

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA)

  1. Brother of John F. Kennedy, U.S. senator from Massachusetts 1953-1960, president of the United States 1960-1963 

Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-IL)

  1. Son of William Lipinski, U.S. representative from Illinois 1983-2004

Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA)

  1. Widow of Robert T. Matsui, U.S. representative from California 1978-2005

Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL)

  1. Son of Carrie Meek, U.S. representative from Florida 1992-2002

Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV)

  1. Son of Robert Mollohan, U.S. representative from West Virginia 1953-57 and 1969-83

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

  1. Daughter of Frank Murkowski, US senator from Alaska 1981–2002; Governor of Alaska, 2002-2006.

Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA)

  1. Daughter of Edward Roybal, U.S. representative from California 1963-1993

Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA)

  1. Son of Bud Shuster, U.S. representative from Pennsylvania 1973-2001

In addition to the seats directly “inherited,” at least 35 other members of Congress have former members of Congress or governors in their immediate families.  Whether it is a sibling also in Congress or a long family dynasty of political power, the following members of Congress benefit from the name recognition and other perks of nepotism, although they did not directly follow a family member into office. 

Non-consecutive/different offices/dynastic families:

Sen. Evan Bayh (Birch Evans Bayh III) (D- IN)

  1. Son of Birch Evans Bayh II, U.S. senator from Indiana 1963-1981

Sen. Robert F. Bennett (R-UT)

  1. Son of Wallace F. Bennett, U.S. senator from Utah 1950-1974

Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK)

  1. Son of David Boren, U.S. senator from Oklahoma 1979-1994; governor of Oklahoma 1975-1977
  2. Grandson of Lyle Boren, U.S. representative from Oklahoma 1937-1947

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)

  1. Daughter of Arch Moore, U.S. representative from West Virginia 1957-1969

Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO)

  1. Son of Mel Carnahan, governor of Missouri, posthumously elected to U.S. senate, and of Jean Carnahan, wife of Mel, appointed to Senate in his stead in 2000

Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. (D-PA)

  1. Son of Bob Casey, governor of Pennsylvania 1987-1995

Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton (D-NY)

  1. Wife of Bill Clinton, governor of Arkansas 1978-1980 and 1982-1992; president of the United States 1993-2001

Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN)

  1. Son of Prentice Cooper, governor of Tennessee 1939-1945

Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL)

  1. Brother of Mario Diaz-Balart, U.S. representative from Florida 1992-present

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL)

  1. Brother of Lincoln Diaz-Balart, U.S. representative from Florida 2002-present

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT)

  1. Son of Thomas J. Dodd, U.S. representative from Connecticut 1953-1957; U.S. senator 1959-1971

Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC)

  1. Wife of Bob Dole, U.S. senator from Kansas 1969-1996

Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ)

  1. Son of Peter Hood Ballantine Frelinghuysen, Jr., U.S. representative from New Jersey 1953-1975
  2. Relative of four other Frelinghuysens that have served in Congress since 1793

Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH)

  1. Son of Hugh Gregg, governor of New Hampshire 1953-1955

Rep. Stephanie Herseth (D-SD)

  1. Granddaughter of Ralph Herseth, governor of South Dakota 1959-1961

Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ)

  1. Son of Rush D. Holt, U.S. senator from West Virginia 1935-1941

Rep. Walter B. Jones Jr. (R-NC)

  1. Son of Walter B. Jones Sr., U.S. representative from North Carolina 1966-1992

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI)

  1. Son of Edward Kennedy, U.S. senator from Massachusetts from 1962-present

Sen. Jon L. Kyl (R-AZ)

  1. Son of John H. Kyl, U.S. representative from Iowa, 1959-1965 and 1967-1973

Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI)

  1. Brother of Sander Levin, U.S. representative from Michigan 1982-present

Rep. Sander Levin (D-MI)

  1. Brother of Carl Levin, U.S. senator from Michigan 1978-present

Rep. Connie Mack, IV (R-FL)

  1. Son of Connie Mack. III, U.S. representative from Florida 1983-1989; U.S. senator from Florida 1989-2001

Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT)

  1. Son of Scott Matheson, governor of Utah 1977-1985

Rep. John L. Mica (R-FL)

  1. Brother of Daniel A. Mica, U.S. representative from Florida 1979-1989

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

  1. Daughter of Thomas L. J. D’Alesandro III, mayor of Baltimore 1967-1971
  2. Granddaughter of Thomas L. J. D’Alesandro, Jr., U.S. representative from Maryland 1939-1947; mayor of Baltimore 1947-1959

Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR)

  1. Son of David Pryor, U.S. senator from Arkansas 1979-1997

Rep. John P. Sarbanes (D-MD)

  1. Son of Paul Sarbanes, U.S. senator from Maryland 1977-2007

Rep. John Salazar (D-CO)

  1. Brother of Ken Salazar, U.S. senator from Colorado 2004-present

Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO)

  1. Brother of John Salazar, U.S. representative from Colorado 2004-present

Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA)

  1. Sister of Loretta Sanchez, U.S. representative from California 1996-present

Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA)

  1. Sister of Linda Sanchez, U.S. representative from California 2002-present

Sen. John Sununu (R-NH)

  1. Son of John Sununu, former governor of New Hampshire 1983-1989

Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO)

  1. Son of Morris Udall, U.S. representative from Arizona 1961-1991

Rep. Tom Udall (D-NM)

  1. Son of Stewart Lee Udall, U.S. representative from Arizona 1955 -1961

Rep. James T. Walsh (R-NY)

  1. Son of William F. Walsh, mayor of Syracuse from 1961-69; U.S. representative from New York 1973-78

Of course, nepotism is not limited to the current members of Congress.  Several recent former members are also part of the elite club of inherited political power.   A few are listed below.

Recent Former Members of Congress:

Charlie Bass, U.S. representative from New Hampshire 1995-2007

  1. Son of Perkins Bass, U.S. representative from New Hampshire 1955-1963

Lincoln Chafee, mayor, Warwick, Rhode Island 1992-99; US senator, Rhode Island 1999-2007

  1. Son of John Chafee, governor, Rhode Island, 1963-1969; US Secretary of the Navy, 1969-72; US senator, Rhode Island, 1976-77 and 1982-99

Harold Ford, Jr., U.S. representative from Tennessee 1997-2007

  • Son of Harold Ford Sr., U.S. representative from Tennessee 1975-1997

Al Gore, Jr., U.S. representative from Tennessee 1977–1985; U.S. senator from Tennessee 1985–1993; vice president 1993–2001

  1. Son of Albert Gore, Sr., U.S. representative from Tennessee, 1939–1944 and 1945–1953; U.S. senator from Tennessee, 1953–1971