This is a list of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans in the U.S. Congress.
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The term refers to a panethnic group that includes diverse populations with ancestral origins in East Asia, South Asia or Southeast Asia, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Pacific Islander Americans, also known as Oceanian Americans, Pacific Islander Americans or Native Hawaiian and/or other Pacific Islander Americans, are Americans who have ethnic ancestry among the indigenous peoples of Oceania (viz. Polynesians, Melanesians and Micronesians). For its purposes, the U.S. Census also counts Indigenous Australians as part of this group.University of Virginia. Geospatial and Statistical Data Center. "1990 PUMS Ancestry Codes." 2003. August 30, 2007.
As of January 3, 2025, there are 19 representatives and three senators of Asian-American descent who are currently serving in Congress. In addition, there are three non-voting delegates of Pacific Islander descent who currently are also serving. Since 1900, 21 Pacific Islanders have been elected to the House of Representatives (18 of them as non-voting Resident Commissioners, Delegates or Resident Representatives) and one has been elected to the U.S. Senate. Hawaii was the first territory to send a Pacific Islander to the House of Representatives (in 1900) and was also the first state to send a Pacific Islander to the U.S. Senate (in 1990).
Since 1957, 41 Asian Americans have been elected as U.S. Representatives and nine as U.S. Senators. Hawaii was the first of five states to send an Asian American to the Senate (1959) and New Jersey is the most recent state to elect a senator of similar descent for the first time (2024). With respect to the House of Representatives, California was the first of 13 states to elect an Asian American to the House (1956), and Oklahoma is the most recent to do so for the first time (2020). Three Asian-American women have been elected to the Senate (two of whom currently are incumbents and represent Hawaii and Illinois, respectively), and 13 have been elected to the House (nine of whom currently are incumbents) from seven separate states.
Out of the 22 current AAPI members in the 119th Congress, 19 are Democrats (three senators and 16 representatives) and three are Republicans (three representatives).
Senate (Note: Senators are organized first in chronological order according to their first term in office, then second in alphabetical order according to their surname.)
SenatorAsian and/orPacific Islander ethnicityPartyStateTenureNotesPortraitNameTerm startTerm endLength of serviceChineseFirst American of Chinese ancestry elected to CongressRepublicanHawaiiRetiredJapaneseFirst Japanese American elected to the SenateDemocraticHawaii JapaneseRepublicanCaliforniaRetiredJapaneseDemocraticHawaiiDied in officeHawaiian,ChineseFirst Native Hawaiian to serve in the SenateDemocraticHawaiiInitially appointed; later re-electedRetiredFilipinoFirst person of Filipino ancestry elected to the SenateRepublicanNevadaResignedJapaneseFirst Asian-American woman elected to the SenateDemocraticHawaiiIncumbentThai ChineseFirst Thai American elected to the SenateDemocraticIllinoisIncumbentIndianFirst person of South Asian ancestry elected to the Senate; together with Pramila Jayapal, first Indian-American woman elected to CongressDemocraticCaliforniaResigned to become Vice PresidentKoreanFirst Korean American elected to the SenateDemocraticNew JerseyDecember 8, 2024IncumbentAppointed early following his election.Notes
House of Representatives (Note: Representatives are organized first in chronological order according to their first term in office, then second in alphabetical order according to their surname.)
RepresentativeAsian and/orPacific Islander ethnicityPartyStateTenureNotesPortraitNameTerm startTerm endLength of serviceIndianFirst AAPI person elected to Congress as a non-delegate, and also first Indian American elected to CongressDemocraticCaliforniaLost reelectionJapaneseFirst Japanese American elected to CongressDemocraticHawaiiRetired to run successfully for U.S. SenateJapaneseDemocraticHawaiiRetired to run successfully for U.S. SenateJapaneseFirst Asian-American woman elected to CongressDemocraticHawaiiRetired to run unsuccessfully for U.S. SenateDied in officeJapaneseDemocraticCaliforniaResignedLater served as Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of TransportationHawaiian,ChineseFirst Native Hawaiian to serve as a voting member of CongressDemocraticHawaiiResigned after being appointed to the U.S. SenateJapaneseDemocraticCaliforniaDied in officeIndianFirst Dougla elected to CongressDemocraticCaliforniaRetiredJapaneseRepublicanHawaiiRetired to run unsuccessfully for U.S. SenateKoreanFirst Korean American elected to CongressRepublicanCaliforniaLost renominationFilipinoFirst American-born Filipino elected to CongressDemocraticVirginiaIncumbentFilipinoRepublicanNevadaRetired to run unsuccessfully for U.S. SenateLater elected to the U.S. Senate from NevadaTaiwaneseFirst Taiwanese American elected to CongressDemocraticOregonResignedJapaneseDemocraticCaliforniaLost reelectionIndianRepublicanLouisianaResigned to run successfully for GovernorJapaneseDemocraticCaliforniaIncumbentElected to succeed late husbandJapaneseDemocraticHawaiiRetired to run successfully for U.S. SenateFilipinoRepublicanOhioRetired following decennial redistrictingVietnameseFirst Vietnamese American elected to CongressRepublicanLouisianaLost reelectionChineseFirst Chinese-American woman elected to CongressDemocraticCaliforniaIncumbentThai,ChineseFirst Thai American elected to CongressRepublicanHawaiiLost reelectionBangladeshiFirst person of Bangladeshi ancestry elected to CongressDemocraticMichiganLost renomination following decennial redistrictingJapaneseDemocraticHawaiiRetired to run unsuccessfully for U.S. SenateRetired to run unsuccessfully for GovernorIndianDemocraticCaliforniaIncumbentThai,ChineseFirst Thai-American woman elected to CongressDemocraticIllinoisRetired to run successfully for U.S. SenateSamoanFirst woman of Pacific Islander ancestry elected to CongressDemocraticHawaiiRetired after having run unsuccessfully for PresidentTaiwaneseFirst Taiwanese-American woman elected to CongressDemocraticNew YorkIncumbentJapaneseFirst openly gay person of AAPI ancestry elected to CongressDemocraticCaliforniaIncumbentTaiwaneseDemocraticCaliforniaIncumbentJapaneseDemocraticHawaiiDied in officeIndianTogether with Kamala Harris, first Indian-American woman elected to CongressDemocraticWashingtonIncumbentIndianDemocraticCaliforniaIncumbentIndianDemocraticIllinoisIncumbentVietnameseFirst Vietnamese-American woman elected to CongressDemocraticFlorida6 years, 0 daysRetiredFilipino,ChineseDemocraticCaliforniaLost reelectionKoreanDemocraticNew JerseyResigned in order to accept early appointment to the U.S. Senate. PakistaniFirst person of Pakistani ancestry elected to CongressRepublicanOklahomaIncumbentHawaiianDemocraticHawaii2 years, 0 daysRetired to run unsuccessfully for GovernorKoreanReps. Kim, Steel, and Strickland are collectively the first Korean-American women elected to CongressRepublicanCaliforniaIncumbentKoreanRepublicanCaliforniaLost reelection KoreanDemocraticWashingtonIncumbentIndianDemocraticMichiganIncumbentJapanese, OkinawanFirst Ryukyuan or Okinawan American elected to CongressDemocraticHawaiiIncumbentChineseRepublicanCaliforniaIncumbentKoreanDemocraticCaliforniaIncumbentIndianDemocraticVirginiaIncumbentVietnameseDemocraticCaliforniaIncumbentAfghanFirst Afghan American elected to CongressDemocraticCaliforniaIncumbent
House delegates (non-voting members) Resident Commissioners were House delegates from the Philippines, then an American territory. Two were elected at-large by the Philippine Legislature from 1907 to 1935, and, following the establishment of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, a single Resident Commissioner was appointed by the President of the Philippines (with the consent of the Commonwealth's Commission on Appointments) from 1936 to 1946.
From 1978 to 2009, the Northern Mariana Islands elected four Resident Representatives who had no privileges in the House. American Samoa similarly elected three Delegates at-large from 1971 to 1981 and Guam elected one Washington Representative from 1965 to 1973.
(Note: Delegates are organized first in chronological order according to their first term in office, then second in alphabetical order according to their surname.)
DelegateAsian and/orPacific Islander ethnicityPartyTerritoryTenureNotesPortraitNameTerm startTerm endLength of serviceHawaiianHome RuleHawaiiLost reelectionHawaiianRepublicanHawaiiDied in officeFilipinoFederalistPhilippine IslandsRetiredFilipinoDemocraticPhilippine IslandsRetiredFilipinoNacionalistaPhilippine IslandsRetiredLater served as President of the PhilippinesFilipinoIndependentPhilippine IslandsRetiredFilipinoNacionalistaPhilippine IslandsRetiredFilipino,ChineseIndependentPhilippine IslandsRetiredFilipinoNacionalistaPhilippine IslandsResignedFilipinoNacionalistaPhilippine IslandsRetiredHawaiianDemocraticHawaiiLost reelectionHawaiianRepublicanHawaiiLost reelectionFilipinoNacionalistaPhilippine IslandsRetiredFilipinoNacionalistaPhilippine IslandsRetiredHawaiianRepublicanHawaiiResignedFilipinoNacionalistaPhilippinesResignedFilipinoLiberalPhilippinesOffice eliminated following the independence of the PhilippinesChamorro,ChineseFirst Chamorro person elected to CongressDemocraticGuamLost reelectionChamorroDemocraticLost reelectionRepublicanSamoanFirst Samoan delegate elected to CongressDemocraticAmerican SamoaResignedChamorroDemocraticRetired to run unsuccessfully for Governor of the Northern Mariana IslandsLater successfully ran for Governor of the Northern Mariana IslandsChamorroRepublicanGuamLost reelectionSamoanDemocraticAmerican SamoaLost reelectionChamorro,CarolinianFirst (and so far only) Carolinian person elected to CongressRepublicanRetired to run successfully for Governor of the Northern Mariana IslandsChamorroDemocraticGuamRetired to run unsuccessfully for Governor of GuamChamorroRepublicanOffice replaced by DelegateLost election to new officeChamorroDemocraticGuamRetired to run unsuccessfully for Governor of GuamChamorroIndependentRetiredDemocraticIndependentDemocraticSamoan,HawaiianRepublicanAmerican SamoaIncumbentChamorroRepublicanGuamIncumbentChamorroRepublicanNorthern Mariana IslandsIncumbent
Notes
See also Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus List of Asian Australian politicians
Notes
References
Further reading Tong, Lorraine H. (2003). "Asian Pacific Americans in the United States Congress". Congressional Research Service 97-398, 9–14. , highlighting the role of the first woman of color and first female Asian-American to serve in Congress, Patsy Mink.