Arlen Specter (R-PA)
Chairman
Born in Kansas (1930), completed undergraduate work at the University of Pennsylvania, and law degree from Yale. He worked on the Warren Commission, authoring the controversial “single bullet theory.” First elected in 1980 and next election is 2010.
Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT)
Ranking Democratic Member
Born in Vermont (1940), graduated St. Michael’s College (1961) and Georgetown Law (1964). First elected to the Senate in 1974 as the first Democratic Senator ever elected from Vermont. Up for reelection 2010.
Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT)
Born in Pittsburgh (1934), graduated from Brigham Young University (1959) and completed his law degree at the University of Pittsburgh (1962). He was first elected in 1976 and is up for reelection in 2006.
Charles E. Grassley (R-IA)
Born in New Hartford, Iowa (1933), graduated from the University of Iowa (1955) and also received a graduate degree (1956). First elected in 1980 as his next election is 2010.
Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA)
Born in Boston (1932), first elected in 1962 while his brother John F. Kennedy was still president. Attended Harvard (playing on the football team), and graduated in 1956 after a two year stint in the army. Completed his law degree in 1959 at the University of Virginia. His next election is 2006.
Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
Born in Nebraska (1942), graduated from the University of Arizona and also complete his law degree there. He was first elected in 1994 and is up for reelection in 2006.
Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE)
Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania (1942), graduated from the University of Delaware (1965) and completed his law degree at Syracuse University (1968). He was first elected in 1972 (at the age of 30 – the 5th youngest senator ever) and is up for reelection in 2008.
Mike DeWine (R-OH)
Born in Springfield, Ohio (1947), he earned a bachelor’s degree Miami University in Ohio (1969) and a law degree from Ohio Northern University. He was first elected to the Senate in 1994 and is up for reelection in 2006 against Paul Hackett. Controversy hit DeWine’s office in 2004 when an entry-level staff assistant published a blog detailing her sexual escapades with influential older men in Washington. She was subsequently fired for misuse of Senate computers.
Herbert Kohl (D-WI)
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (1935), graduated from the University of Wisconsin (1956) and received an MBA from Harvard (1958). He has been a senator since 1988 and is up for reelection in 2006. He is one of the nation’s wealthiest politicians, purchasing the Milwaukee Bucks in 1985 to ensure they remaing in his home state.
Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Born in the deep south, Selma, Alabama (1946), graduated from Huntingdon College (1969) and received a law degree from the University of Alabama (1973). He is one of only nine senators supporting Dick Cheney’s propsal to exempt the CIA from the torture ban. First elected in 1996, he is up for reelection again in 2008.
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Born in San Francisco (1933), graduated from Stanford University (1955) and also received her law degree from Stanford. She was the first and only female mayor of San Francisco after she succeeded the assassinated George Moscone in 1978. She was first elected to the Senate in 1992 and is next up for reelection in 2010.
Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Born in South Carolina (1955), graduated from the University of South Carolina (1977) and also received a law degree from there (1981). He was first elected in 2002 and is up for reelection in 208.
Russell D. Feingold (D-WI)
Born in Janesville, Wisconsin (1953), graduated from the University of Wisconsin (1975). He went on to study at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar in 1977, then attended Harvard to complete his law degree (1979). He was first elected in 1992 and is up for reelection in 2010.
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Born in Houston, Texas (1952), graduated from Trinity University and a juris doctorate from St. Mary’s University School of Law. He was first elected in 2002 and is up for reelection in 2008. When Cornyn ran for his seat in 2002, Jack Abramoff contributed the maximum legal amount to his campaign ($1,000).
Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)
Born in Brooklyn, NY (1950), he attended and received both his undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University. He is the current chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). His wife is the New York City Commissioner of Transportation. He was first elected in 1998 and is up for reelection is 2010.
Sam Brownback (R-KS)
Born in Garnett, Kansas (1956), grew on his family’s farm, attended Kansas State University (1979) and received a law degree from the University of Kansas (1982). He was first elected in a special election (1996) to replace presidential candidate Bob Dole. He is next up for reelection in 2010. He is a strong conservative and is considering throwing his hat in the ring for the 2008 presidential election.
Richard J. Durbin (D-IL)
Born in East St. Louis, Illinois (1944), graduated from Georgetown University (1966) and continued to finish his law degree from Georgetown (1969). He is the current Senate Minority Whip, and is a notable opponent of torture, comparing the tactics used at Guantanamo and Camp X-Ray with the Nazis, the Soviet Union, and the Khmer Rouge. Durbin was first elected in 1996 and easily reelected in 2002.
Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Born in Casper, Wyoming (1948), graduated with a degree in accounting from Oklahoma State University and completed medical school at the University of Oklahoma (1983). He was a practicing physician and served as a decon in the Southern Baptist Church until running for a seat in the Hour of Representatives in 1994. A woman alleged that Coburn sterilized her without her consent in 1990 while she was under the age of 21. Coburn contended that he had her oral consent, but not written consent. This resulted in a civil malpractice suit against Coburn, which was dismissed. Coburn was first elected to the Senate in 2004 and is up for reelection in 2010.