Longest-Serving Republicans in the House
December 2, 2019 by Sam StebbinsWith the exception of Supreme Court justices, who are appointed for life, job security can be a major challenge in Washington D.C. — particularly for members of the House of Representatives. Unlike their congressional counterparts in the Senate, who face reelection every six years, members of the House are elected every two years.
Without term limits, members of the House can, in theory, serve for decades — but this does not happen often. The majority of the more than 430 members of the House of Representatives have served for no more than six years — fewer years than a single term of a U.S. Senator.
Using data from congress.gov 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the tenure of all current members of the House of Representatives to identify the longest-serving Republicans in the House. Lawmakers are ranked on cumulative service, even if their terms were not consecutive or their district changed. Though the number of Democrats who have held office since the 1980s and 1990s is more than double the number of Republican lawmakers with similar tenure, the two longest serving House members are Republican.
Remaining popular enough to win elections is critical for elected officials in the legislative branch. The Republican House members on this list have proved more than capable of that, winning anywhere from five elections to more than 20 each. Though they face reelection less frequently, U.S. senators need to remain popular as well. Here is a look at America’s most and least popular senators.
A representative’s reason for leaving office is by no means limited to losing an election. House members will often run for another elected office or simply retire. Others choose to leave public service for more lucrative opportunities in the private sector. Here is a look at 76 richest members of congress.
Click here to see the longest-serving Republicans in the House
Click here to see the longest-serving Democrats in the House
53. Rep. Pete Olson
> Time in congress: 10 years (2009-present)
District: Rep. Olson currently serves Texas’s 22nd Congressional District, which covers some or all of Brazoria, Fort Bend, and Harris Counties.
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52. Rep. Phil Roe
> Time in congress: 10 years (2009-present)
District: Rep. Roe currently serves Tennessee’s 1st Congressional District, which covers some or all of Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington Counties.
51. Rep. Glenn Thompson
> Time in congress: 10 years (2009-present)
District: Rep. Thompson currently serves Pennsylvania’s 15th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Armstrong, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Elk, Forest, Indiana, Jefferson, McKean, Venango, and Warren Counties.
50. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer
> Time in congress: 10 years (2009-present)
District: Rep. Luetkemeyer currently serves Missouri’s 3rd Congressional District, which covers some or all of Callaway, Camden, Cole, Franklin, Gasconade, Jefferson, Lincoln, Maries, Miller, Montgomery, Osage, St. Charles, and Warren Counties.
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49. Rep. S. Brett Guthrie
> Time in congress: 10 years (2009-present)
District: Rep. Guthrie currently serves Kentucky’s 2nd Congressional District, which covers some or all of Barren, Boyle, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Butler, Daviess, Edmonson, Garrard, Grayson, Green, Hancock, Hardin, Hart, Jessamine, Larue, Meade, Mercer, Nelson, Spencer, Warren, and Washington Counties.
48. Rep. Bill Posey
> Time in congress: 10 years (2009-present)
District: Rep. Posey currently serves Florida’s 8th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Brevard, Indian River, and Orange Counties.
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47. Rep. Duncan D. Hunter
> Time in congress: 10 years (2009-present)
District: Rep. Hunter currently serves California’s 50th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Riverside and San Diego Counties.
46. Rep. Tom McClintock
> Time in congress: 10 years (2009-present)
District: Rep. McClintock currently serves California’s 4th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, Nevada, Placer, and Tuolumne Counties.
45. Rep. Tim Walberg
> Time in congress: 10 years (2007-2009, 2011-present)
District: Rep. Walberg currently serves Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Branch, Eaton, Hillsdale, Jackson, Lenawee, Monroe, and Washtenaw Counties.
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44. Rep. Steve Scalise
> Time in congress: 11 years (2008-present)
District: Rep. Scalise currently serves Louisiana’s 1st Congressional District, which covers some or all of Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Terrebonne Parishes.
43. Rep. Robert J. Wittman
> Time in congress: 12 years (2007-present)
District: Rep. Wittman currently serves Virginia’s 1st Congressional District, which covers some or all of Caroline, Essex, Fauquier, Gloucester, Hanover, James City, King and Queen, King George, King William, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, New Kent, Northumberland, Prince William, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Westmoreland Counties.
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42. Rep. Robert E. Latta
> Time in congress: 12 years (2007-present)
District: Rep. Latta currently serves Ohio’s 5th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Defiance, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Lucas, Mercer, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert, Williams, Wood, and Wyandot Counties.
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41. Rep. Jim Jordan
> Time in congress: 12 years (2007-present)
District: Rep. Jordan currently serves Ohio’s 4th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Allen, Auglaize, Champaign, Crawford, Erie, Huron, Logan, Lorain, Marion, Mercer, Sandusky, Seneca, Shelby, and Union Counties.
40. Rep. Adrian Smith
> Time in congress: 12 years (2007-present)
District: Rep. Smith currently serves Nebraska’s 3rd Congressional District, which covers some or all of Adams, Antelope, Arthur, Banner, Blaine, Boone, Box Butte, Boyd, Brown, Buffalo, Cedar, Chase, Cherry, Cheyenne, Clay, Custer, Dakota, Dawes, Dawson, Deuel, Dixon, Dundy, Fillmore, Franklin, Frontier, Furnas, Gage, Garden, Garfield, Gosper, Grant, Greeley, Hall, Hamilton, Harlan, Hayes, Hitchcock, Holt, Hooker, Howard, Jefferson, Johnson, Kearney, Keith, Keya Paha, Kimball, Knox, Lincoln, Logan, Loup, McPherson, Merrick, Morrill, Nance, Nemaha, Nuckolls, Pawnee, Perkins, Phelps, Pierce, Red Willow, Richardson, Rock, Saline, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, Sherman, Sioux, Thayer, Thomas, Valley, Wayne, Webster, Wheeler, and York Counties.
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39. Rep. Vern Buchanan
> Time in congress: 12 years (2007-present)
District: Rep. Buchanan currently serves Florida’s 16th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Hillsborough, Manatee, and Sarasota Counties.
38. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis
> Time in congress: 12 years (2007-present)
District: Rep. Bilirakis currently serves Florida’s 12th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties.
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37. Rep. Doug Lamborn
> Time in congress: 12 years (2007-present)
District: Rep. Lamborn currently serves Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Chaffee, El Paso, Fremont, Park, and Teller Counties.
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36. Rep. Kevin McCarthy
> Time in congress: 12 years (2007-present)
District: Rep. McCarthy currently serves California’s 23rd Congressional District, which covers some or all of Kern, Los Angeles, and Tulare Counties.
35. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers
> Time in congress: 14 years (2005-present)
District: Rep. Rodgers currently serves Washington’s 5th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Asotin, Columbia, Ferry, Garfield, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, and Whitman Counties.
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34. Rep. Kenny Marchant
> Time in congress: 14 years (2005-present)
District: Rep. Marchant currently serves Texas’s 24th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant Counties.
33. Rep. Louie Gohmert
> Time in congress: 14 years (2005-present)
District: Rep. Gohmert currently serves Texas’s 1st Congressional District, which covers some or all of Angelina, Gregg, Harrison, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Upshur, and Wood Counties.
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32. Rep. K. Michael Conaway
> Time in congress: 14 years (2005-present)
District: Rep. Conaway currently serves Texas’s 11th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Andrews, Brown, Callahan, Coke, Coleman, Comanche, Concho, Dawson, Eastland, Ector, Erath, Glasscock, Hood, Irion, Kimble, Llano, McCulloch, Martin, Mason, Menard, Midland, Mills, Mitchell, Palo Pinto, Runnels, San Saba, Stephens, Sterling, and Tom Green Counties.
31. Rep. Michael T. McCaul
> Time in congress: 14 years (2005-present)
District: Rep. McCaul currently serves Texas’s 10th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Austin, Bastrop, Colorado, Fayette, Harris, Lee, Travis, Waller, and Washington Counties.
30. Rep. Virginia Foxx
> Time in congress: 14 years (2005-present)
District: Rep. Foxx currently serves North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Catawba, Forsyth, Stokes, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yadkin Counties.
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29. Rep. Patrick T. McHenry
> Time in congress: 14 years (2005-present)
District: Rep. McHenry currently serves North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Buncombe, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Polk, and Rutherford Counties.
28. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry
> Time in congress: 14 years (2005-present)
District: Rep. Fortenberry currently serves Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District, which covers some or all of Burt, Butler, Cass, Colfax, Cuming, Dixon, Dodge, Lancaster, Madison, Merrick, Otoe, Platte, Polk, Sarpy, Saunders, Seward, Stanton, Thurston, and Washington Counties.
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27. Rep. Rob Bishop
> Time in congress: 16 years (2003-present)
District: Rep. Bishop currently serves Utah’s 1st Congressional District, which covers some or all of Box Elder, Cache, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Morgan, Rich, Summit, Uintah, and Weber Counties.
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26. Rep. John Carter
> Time in congress: 16 years (2003-present)
District: Rep. Carter currently serves Texas’s 31st Congressional District, which covers some or all of Bell and Williamson Counties.
25. Rep. Michael Burgess
> Time in congress: 16 years (2003-present)
District: Rep. Burgess currently serves Texas’s 26th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant Counties.
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24. Rep. Tom Cole
> Time in congress: 16 years (2003-present)
District: Rep. Cole currently serves Oklahoma’s 4th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Canadian, Carter, Cleveland, Comanche, Cotton, Garvin, Grady, Jefferson, Love, McClain, Murray, Oklahoma, Pontotoc, Stephens, and Tillman Counties.
23. Rep. Michael Turner
> Time in congress: 16 years (2003-present)
District: Rep. Turner currently serves Ohio’s 10th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Fayette, Greene, and Montgomery Counties.
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22. Rep. Steve King
> Time in congress: 16 years (2003-present)
District: Rep. King currently serves Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Audubon, Boone, Buena Vista, Butler, Calhoun, Carroll, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Clay, Crawford, Dickinson, Emmet, Floyd, Franklin, Greene, Grundy, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Humboldt, Ida, Kossuth, Lyon, Monona, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Sac, Shelby, Sioux, Story, Webster, Winnebago, Woodbury, and Wright Counties.
21. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart
> Time in congress: 16 years (2003-present)
District: Rep. Diaz-Balart currently serves Florida’s 25th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Collier, Hendry, and Miami-Dade Counties.
20. Rep. Devin Nunes
> Time in congress: 16 years (2003-present)
District: Rep. Nunes currently serves California’s 22nd Congressional District, which covers some or all of Fresno and Tulare Counties.
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19. Rep. Mike Rogers
> Time in congress: 16 years (2003-present)
District: Rep. Rogers currently serves Alabama’s 3rd Congressional District, which covers some or all of Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Lee, Macon, Montgomery, Randolph, Russell, St. Clair, Talladega, and Tallapoosa Counties.
18. Rep. Joe Wilson
> Time in congress: 18 years (2001-present)
District: Rep. Wilson currently serves South Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District, which covers some or all of Aiken, Barnwell, Lexington, Orangeburg, and Richland Counties.
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17. Rep. Sam Graves
> Time in congress: 18 years (2001-present)
District: Rep. Graves currently serves Missouri’s 6th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Adair, Andrew, Atchison, Audrain, Buchanan, Caldwell, Carroll, Chariton, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Holt, Jackson, Knox, Lewis, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Marion, Mercer, Monroe, Nodaway, Pike, Platte, Putnam, Ralls, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby, Sullivan, and Worth Counties.
16. Rep. Greg Walden
> Time in congress: 20 years (1999-present)
District: Rep. Walden currently serves Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District, which covers some or all of Baker, Crook, Deschutes, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco, and Wheeler Counties.
15. Rep. Mike Simpson
> Time in congress: 20 years (1999-present)
District: Rep. Simpson currently serves Idaho’s 2nd Congressional District, which covers some or all of Ada, Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, Blaine, Bonneville, Butte, Camas, Caribou, Cassia, Clark, Custer, Elmore, Franklin, Fremont, Gooding, Jefferson, Jerome, Lemhi, Lincoln, Madison, Minidoka, Oneida, Power, Teton, and Twin Falls Counties.
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14. Rep. Kevin Brady
> Time in congress: 22 years (1997-present)
District: Rep. Brady currently serves Texas’s 8th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Grimes, Harris, Houston, Leon, Madison, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Trinity, and Walker Counties.
13. Rep. Kay Granger
> Time in congress: 22 years (1997-present)
District: Rep. Granger currently serves Texas’s 12th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Parker, Tarrant, and Wise Counties.
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12. Rep. John Shimkus
> Time in congress: 22 years (1997-present)
District: Rep. Shimkus currently serves Illinois’ 15th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Bond, Champaign, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Edwards, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jasper, Johnson, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Massac, Moultrie, Pope, Richland, Saline, Shelby, Vermilion, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, and White Counties.
11. Rep. Robert Aderholt
> Time in congress: 22 years (1997-present)
District: Rep. Aderholt currently serves Alabama’s 4th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Blount, Cherokee, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Jackson, Lamar, Lawrence, Marion, Marshall, Tuscaloosa, Walker, and Winston Counties.
10. Rep. Steve Chabot
> Time in congress: 22 years (1995-2009, 2011-present)
District: Rep. Chabot currently serves Ohio’s 1st Congressional District, which covers some or all of Hamilton and Warren Counties.
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9. Rep. Mac Thornberry
> Time in congress: 24 years (1995-present)
District: Rep. Thornberry currently serves Texas’s 13th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Archer, Armstrong, Baylor, Briscoe, Carson, Childress, Clay, Collingsworth, Cooke, Cottle, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Dickens, Donley, Floyd, Foard, Gray, Hall, Hansford, Hardeman, Hartley, Hemphill, Hutchinson, Jack, King, Knox, Lipscomb, Montague, Moore, Motley, Ochiltree, Oldham, Potter, Randall, Roberts, Sherman, Swisher, Wheeler, Wichita, Wilbarger, and Wise Counties.
8. Rep. Frank Lucas
> Time in congress: 26 years (1993-present)
District: Rep. Lucas currently serves Oklahoma’s 3rd Congressional District, which covers some or all of Alfalfa, Beaver, Beckham, Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Cimarron, Creek, Custer, Dewey, Ellis, Garfield, Grant, Greer, Harmon, Harper, Jackson, Kay, Kingfisher, Kiowa, Lincoln, Logan, Major, Noble, Osage, Pawnee, Payne, Roger Mills, Texas, Washita, Woods, and Woodward Counties.
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7. Rep. Pete King
> Time in congress: 26 years (1993-present)
District: Rep. King currently serves New York’s 2nd Congressional District, which covers some or all of Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
6. Rep. Ken Calvert
> Time in congress: 26 years (1993-present)
District: Rep. Calvert currently serves California’s 42nd Congressional District, which covers some or all of Riverside County.
5. Rep. Fred Upton
> Time in congress: 32 years (1987-present)
District: Rep. Upton currently serves Michigan’s 6th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Allegan, Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Van Buren Counties.
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4. Rep. Chris Smith
> Time in congress: 38 years (1981-present)
District: Rep. Smith currently serves New Jersey’s 4th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean Counties.
3. Rep. Harold Rogers
> Time in congress: 38 years (1981-present)
District: Rep. Rogers currently serves Kentucky’s 5th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Bell, Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Clay, Elliott, Floyd, Harlan, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lincoln, McCreary, Magoffin, Martin, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Rowan, Wayne, and Whitley Counties.
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2. Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner
> Time in congress: 40 years (1979-present)
District: Rep. Sensenbrenner currently serves Wisconsin’s 5th Congressional District, which covers some or all of Dodge, Jefferson, Milwaukee, Walworth, Washington, and Waukesha Counties.
1. Rep. Don Young
> Time in congress: 46 years (1973-present)
District: Rep. Young currently serves all of Alaska.
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