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by Nick Selbe
With the nation’s most important decisions hanging in the balance, it’s important that Capitol Hill be filled with the best and brightest America has to offer. A look at the current breakdown of Congress shows the country’s top-tier colleges well represented.
Using data from Vote Smart, a research organization that collects data on elected officials and candidates for public office, StartClass found the colleges that have produced the most active members of Congress.
For this list, we only counted undergraduate schools. If Representative X, for example, received an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and a graduate degree from Yale University, that only counts as one member for Harvard.
There are 535 voting members of Congress and also non-voting delegates from Washington, D.C., Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Vote Smart only has undergraduate schools listed for 458 of them, so the list is not 100 percent complete. Still, it provides a strong indication of which university’s alumni are directly influencing U.S. legislation the most.
Note: In the event of ties, schools are listed in alphabetical order. Several institutions on this list share the same rank, with an equal number of Congress members.
#21. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Number of Active Congress members: 3 Members: Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif.; Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif.; Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif.
#21. College of the Holy Cross
Number of Active Congress members: 3
Members: Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt.; Sen. Robert P. Casey, D-Pa.; Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Calif.
#21. Columbia University in the City of New York
Number of Active Congress members: 3 Members: Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas; Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y.; Rep. John K. Delaney, D-Md.
#21. Duke University
Number of Active Congress members: 3
Members: Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala.; Rep. Scott H. Peters, D-Calif.; Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.
#21. Louisiana State University
Number of Active Congress members: 3 Members: Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.; Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb.; Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La.
#21. Miami University-Oxford
Number of Active Congress members: 3
Members: Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.; Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.; Rep. Susan W. Brooks, R-Ind.
#21. Princeton University
Number of Active Congress members: 3 Members: Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash.; Rep. Terri A. Sewell, D-Ala.; Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo.
#21. Rice University
Number of Active Congress members: 3
Members: Rep. Jim Bridenstine, R-Okla.; Rep. John Kline, R-Minn.; Rep. Pete Olson, R-Texas
#21. Texas Tech University
Number of Active Congress members: 3 Members: Rep. John R. Carter, R-Texas; Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas; Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Texas
#21. United States Military Academy
Number of Active Congress members: 3
Members: Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky.; Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I.; Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan.
#21. University of Hawaii at Manoa
Number of Active Congress members: 3 Members: Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii; Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.; Rep. Mark Takai, D-Hawaii
#21. University of Kentucky
Number of Active Congress members: 3
Members: Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky.; Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky.; Rep. Louise McIntosh Slaughter, D-N.Y.
#21. University of Mississippi
Number of Active Congress members: 3 Members: Rep. John Fleming, R-La.; Sen. Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss.; Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss.
#21. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Number of Active Congress members: 3
Members: Rep. David E. Price, D-N.C.; Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn.; Rep. Gwen Graham, D-Fla.
#21. University of Notre Dame
Number of Active Congress members: 3 Members: Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind.; Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa.; Rep. Brendan F. Boyle, D-Pa.
#21. University of Oregon
Number of Active Congress members: 3
Members: Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore.; Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore.; Rep. Ryan K. Zinke, R-Mont.
#21. Wake Forest University
Number of Active Congress members: 3 Members: Rep. Donna F. Edwards, D-Md.; Rep. George Holding, R-N.C.; Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C.
#17. George Washington University
Number of Active Congress members: 4
Members: Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Calif.; Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va.; Sen. Michael B. Enzi, R-Wyo.; Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y.
#17. Ohio State University
Number of Active Congress members: 4 Members: Rep. Marcia L. Fudge, D-Ohio; Rep. Patrick J. Tiberi, R-Ohio; Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Ohio; Sen. Thomas R. Carper, D-Del.
#17. University of California-Berkeley
Number of Active Congress members: 4
Members: Rep. Doris O. Matsui, D-Calif.; Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif.; Rep. Linda T. Sanchez, D-Calif.; Rep. Susan A. Davis, D-Calif.
#17. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Number of Active Congress members: 4 Members: Rep. Charles J. “Chuck” Fleischmann, R-Tenn.; Rep. Janice D. Schakowsky, D-Ill.; Rep. Larry Bucshon, R-Ind.; Rep. Peter J. Roskam, R-Ill.
#9. Georgetown University
Number of Active Congress members: 5
Members: Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas; Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo.; Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C.; Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill.
#9. Pennsylvania State University
Number of Active Congress members: 5 Members: Rep. Charles W. Dent, R-Pa.; Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa.; Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H.; Rep. Michael F. Doyle, D-Pa.; Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa.
#9. Texas A&M University-College Station
Number of Active Congress members: 5
Members: Rep. Bill Flores, R-Texas; Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas; Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas; Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas; Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas
#9. University of California-Los Angeles
Number of Active Congress members: 5 Members: Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif.; Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif.; Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif.; Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif.; Rep. Mimi Walters, R-Calif.
#9. University of Georgia
Number of Active Congress members: 5
Members: Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla.; Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga.; Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga.; Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ga.; Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter, R-Ga.
#9. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Number of Active Congress members: 5 Members: Rep. Dan Benishek, R-Mich.; Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich.; Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y.; Rep. Theodore E. Deutch, D-Fla.; Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga.
#9. The University of Texas at Austin
Number of Active Congress members: 5
Members: Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas; Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla.; Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas; Rep. Robert Pittenger, R-N.C.; Rep. Ruben Hinojosa, D-Texas
#9. University of Wisconsin-Madison
Number of Active Congress members: 5 Members: Rep. Bill Foster, D-Ill.; Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio; Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis.; Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis.
#7. Brigham Young University-Provo
Number of Active Congress members: 6
Members: Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah; Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.; Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho; Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah; Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah; Rep. Raul R. Labrador, R-Idaho
#7. University of Maryland-College Park
Number of Active Congress members: 6 Members: Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md.; Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill.; Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif.; Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md.; Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo.; Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.
#4. Dartmouth College
Number of Active Congress members: 7
Members: Sen. Angus S. King Jr., I-Maine; Rep. Ann M. Kuster, D-N.H.; Rep. John C. Carney Jr., D-Del.; Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D.; Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, D-N.Y.; Rep. Michael E. Capuano, D-Mass.; Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio
#4. University of Florida
Number of Active Congress members: 7 Members: Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.; Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis, R-Fla.; Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla.; Rep. John L. Mica, R-Fla.; Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.; Rep. Ted S. Yoho, R-Fla.; Rep. Evan H. Jenkins, R-W.Va.
#4. University of Missouri-Columbia
Number of Active Congress members: 7
Members: Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo.; Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.; Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.; Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo.; Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.; Rep. Vicky Hartzier, R-Mo.; Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo.
#3. Yale University
Number of Active Congress members: 8 Members: Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.; Rep. John A. Yarmuth, D-Ky.; Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas; Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla.; Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas; Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.; Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio
#2. Stanford University
Number of Active Congress members: 10
Members: Rep. Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif.; Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; Rep. James Sensenbrenner Jr., R-Wis.; Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.; Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III, D-Mass.; Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.; Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif.; Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.; Sen. Cory A. Booker, D-N.J.; Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif.
#1. Harvard University
Number of Active Congress members: 11
Members: Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn.; Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla.; Rep. Elizabeth H. Esty, D-Conn.; Rep. James A. Himes, D-Conn.; Rrep. Mark Takano, D-Calif.; Sen. Patrick J. Toomey, R-Pa.; Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, D-Va.; Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis.; Sen. Daniel Sullivan, R-Alaska; Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.
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