107th Congress
The 107th Congress was analyzed because this was the session when the
Democrats and Republicans, prior to a shift of power, evenly split
Senate seats between the two parties. As it began, it was a
reported 50/50 even split between Democrats and
Republicans in the Senate, with the newly elected Vice President Dick
Cheney, as President of the Senate, with the constitutional right to
cast a tie-breaking vote. However, the shift of power changed
when Vermont’s Independent Senator, Jim Jeffords, previously
Republican, shifted his support to caucusing with the Democrats. Prior to the shift of power, however, it was noted that opening up the 107th session, the Democrats controlled 50 Senate seats, and the Republicans as well controlled 50 Senate seats. Disproportionately, however, it is crucial to note that the 50 seats for the Democrats represented a staggering 59 million people, while the 50 seats for the Republicans represented only 43 million people.
Democrat Voters | 59,070,316 | Democrat Senators | 50 |
Republican Voters | 43,302,935 | Republican Senators | 50 |