Batter Up!
Baseball is still America’s pastime. It is the godfather of American sports. Game 1 of the World Series will be October 28 through game 7, if necessary, on November 5. That brings us right up to Election Day! For those of you reading this newsletter, baseball and politics may be about all you talk about this month! Just as we talk about the lineup in baseball, we can talk about the lineup in Congress. Here’s a few facts about who has been serving you from January 2021-September 2022 in the 117th:
The Line Up
In the House of Representatives, there are 224 Democrats (including 4 Delegates), 214 Republicans (including 1 Delegate and the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico), and 3 vacant seats. The Senate has 50 Republicans, 48 Democrats, and 2 Independents, who both caucus with the Democrats. Additionally,
- The average age of Members of the House was 58.4 years; of Senators, 64.3 years.
- The overwhelming majority, 96%, of Members of Congress have a college education.
- The dominant professions of Members are public service/politics, business, and law.
- Most Members identify as Christians, and most of these affiliate with a Protestant denomination. Roman Catholics account for the largest single religious denomination, and numerous other affiliations are represented, including Jewish, Mormon, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Greek Orthodox, Pentecostal Christian, Unitarian Universalist, and Adventist.
- The average length of service for Representatives was 8.9 years; for Senators, 11.0 years
- There are 151 women: 127 in the House, including 3 Delegates and the Resident Commissioner, and 24 in the Senate.
- There are 58 African American Members of the House and 3 in the Senate.
- There are 52 Hispanic or Latino Members serving: 46 in the House, including 2 Delegates and the Resident Commissioner, and 7 in the Senate.
- There are 21 Members (16 Representatives, 3 Delegates, and 2 Senators) who are Asian Americans or Pacific Islander Americans.
- A record six Native Americans (American Indians, Alaskan Natives, or Native Hawaiians) serve in the House.
- According to the Military Times, the 117th Congress veterans’ numbers are at the “lowest since the start of World War II”; with only 16.8% of the total membership having served or are serving in the military—91 members.
Arizona will help bring down the average age when we send Blake Masters (U.S. Senate), Juan Ciscomani (CD 6), and Luis Pozzolo (CD 7) to Congress! Arizona will help change the lineup for the 118th Congress in January 2023.
The Playbook
What better way to celebrate both baseball and politics in Tucson than with the MEXICAN BASEBALL FIESTA on October 8, 2022. Four teams travel from Mexico to play in Mesa (last weekend) and Tucson (this weekend). Let’s fill the stands with baseball fans wearing their candidate T-shirts or RED shirts. There’s a double-header starting at 5:05 at Kino Stadium on Saturday, October 8. General admission tickets are $15; kids, seniors, and military $8.
Support our community, support our candidates, support Republicans.
Join me. Play ball!