Congressional Membership and Leadership

Congressional membership and leadership covers who serves in the House and the Senate and how each chamber is organized. It includes how members are elected, how parties organize, and the roles of the Speaker, the majority and minority leaders, and party whips.

People usually come to this topic to understand how leaders are chosen, what power they hold, how members represent their districts and states, how parties shape the agenda, and what happens when a seat becomes vacant or a member leaves office.