5 Youngest Senators

The 5 youngest Senators in the US Senate represent a changing of the guard so to speak. As the old timers who’ve been around since the Civil Rights era hang it up, the newer generation of legislators find themselves bearing increasingly heavily legislative duties. Among them are the following five senators, fresh faced and ready to try and make the governmental changes they believe in.

1. Mark Pryor At 47 years of age, Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor is one of a relatively rare breed—a Southern democrat. Surprisingly, he’s been a member of the chamber dating all the way back to 2003. He’s relatively conservative within the spectrum of his party and so aligns well with both independent voters and the current centrist executive administration.
2. Chris Coons Coons, a democrat from Delaware, is the fourth youngest member of the Senate at 47. He was elected to the vacant seat left by Joe Biden in the 2010 election cycle and he has not yet had the opportunity to perform any senatorial duties. Though a democrat, his employment history includes relatively extensive work for and with republican interests. Time will tell whether that experience will spill over into his voting record.
3. Michael Bennet A senator since 2009, Bennett is the third youngest chamber member at 46 years of age. His entrance in the Senate is interesting in that he was appointed to the seat by the governor of Colorado when existing Senator Ken Salazar was brought into the newly formed Obama administration. In the last election cycle, he squeaked out a narrow victory to truly establish the seat as his own. As a left-leaning democrat, Bennet has been a relatively outspoken supporter recent of liberal legislation such as health care reform, immigration reform and financial reform.
4. Kirsten Gillibrand Formerly a member of the House of Representatives, 44-year-old Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand is the second youngest senator in the nation. She was appointed to the office by the governor of New York after Hillary Clinton left the senate to join the Obama administration. It’s fitting, too, because she aligns very close with Clinton in terms of political persuasion. With short blonde hair and a penchant for pantsuits, she even looks like Clinton. A powerful voice from the left side of the aisle, Gillibrand will remain one of New York’s Senators by appointment until 2013.
5. George LeMieux At 41 years of age, LeMieux is currently the youngest senator in the United States by a long shot. Considering the fact that he’s from the relatively conservative state of Florida, it’s not surprising that he’s the only republican on this list. He falls on the conservative spectrum within the party and his young senatorial career seems to be very focused on fiscal responsibility. He’s already made some waves with a popular amendment to the recent financial reform legislation, so expect to grow more familiar with his name as his career lengthens.