With rock-bottom approval ratings and plenty of unfinished business from the 112th Congress, the newly sworn-in 113th Congress kicked off with a fresh start on Thursday.
There are 82 new members of the House of Representatives — 35 Republicans and 47 Democrats. In the upper chamber, there are 13 new senators — eight Democrats, four Republicans, and one independent.
Sen. Mark Kirk's (R-Ill.) inspiring return to the Senate, nearly a full year after suffering a massive stroke, set an uplifting tone for the day, but there were also a number of noteworthy firsts:
1. The Senate has a record-breaking 20 female senators — 4 Republicans and 16 Democrats.
2. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), appointed to replace outgoing Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), became the first African American senator from the deep South since Reconstruction.
3. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hi.) is the first Buddhist senator.
4. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hi.) is the first Hindu in either chamber.
5. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) is the first openly gay senator.
6. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) is the first openly bisexual member of either chamber.
7. Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) is the first female combat veteran in either chamber.
The big question is how this new group of lawmakers can overcome the poor reputation of Congress among the American people. The good news is that with only about 10 percent of Americans approving of their lawmakers, there's not much room left to go down.
Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political websites. He also runs Wonk Wire and the Political Dictionary. Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and COO of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. senator and governor. Goddard is also co-author of You Won — Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including The Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor. Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
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