The 10 longest-serving senators currently in office

From left to right: Sen. Chuck Grassley, Sen. Susan Collins, and Sen. Mitch McConnell. ; ; There are no term limits for Senate members, and some have served for decades. Sen. Susan Collins, 73, is running for her sixth Senate term in a high-profile race in the midterms. Sen. Chuck Grassley, 93, is the longest-serving current senator with 45 years in the Senate. Unlike the White House, where US presidents can serve only two terms, members of Congress have no term limits. In the US Senate, some members have served for decades. Senators are also getting older, on average. In the 119th Congress, which began in 2025, the median age of US senators was 64. That marks an increase from the 113th Congress in 2013, when the median age in the Senate was 61, per Ballotpedia. Of the 10 longest-serving senators, two are running for reelection in the 2026 midterm elections. Here are the current senators who have held office the longest — and how many years they've served. Sen. Maria Cantwell — 25 years UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 14: Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science, conducts a news conference with student-athletes and coaches outside the U.S. Capitol on the "Protect College Sports Act," on Monday, September 14, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images Cantwell, a 68-year-old Democrat from Washington, has served as a US senator since January 3, 2001. She won her fifth term in 2024 and will be up for reelection in 2030. Sen. Chuck Schumer — 27 years UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 29: Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., arrives for a news conference after the Senate luncheons in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, September 29, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images Schumer, a Democrat from New York, was sworn in on January 3, 1999. Schumer, 75, will be up for reelection in 2028. Sen. Mike Crapo — 27 years WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 20: U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) arrives to a business meeting with the Senate Committee on the Budget in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on May 20, 2026 in Washington, DC. The committee held the meeting to discuss the upcoming congressional budget for the United States Government. Crapo, 75, is a Republican who has represented Idaho in the Senate since January 3, 1999. He will be up for reelection in 2028. Sen. Dick Durbin — 29 years WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 15: Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) speaks alongside Democratic Senate Judiciary Committee members during a news conference on the nomination of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche alongside on Capitol Hill on July 15, 2026 in Washington, DC. During Blanche's tenure as acting Attorney General the Justice Department has been under scrutiny for pushing President Trump's 1.8 billion dollar "anti-weaponization" fund and its handling of the Epstein files. A Democrat from Illinois, Durbin was sworn in as a US senator on January 3, 1997. At 81, he is not seeking reelection and will retire at the end of his term. Sen. Jack Reed — 29 years Senator Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island, during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Bessent is testifying on the agency's 2027 budget request. Photographer: Reed's time in the Senate began on January 3, 1997. The 76-year-old Democrat from Rhode Island is running for reelection in the 2026 midterms. Sen. Susan Collins — 29 years US Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) is seen before her debate with Democratic candidate for the US Senate Troy Jackson at the Gracie Theatre in Bangor, Maine on October 15, 2026. Jackson is looking to unseat the five-term senator in November's midterm election. Americans voting in the November 3 midterm elections will decide who controls Congress for the final two years of Donald Trump's presidency, along with dozens of governorships and thousands of state offices. CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images Collins, 73, is running for reelection in a high-profile race against Democratic challenger Troy Jackson in the 2026 midterms. A Republican from Maine, she has served in the Senate since January 3, 1997. Sen. Ron Wyden — 30 years UNITED STATES - JUNE 17: Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., is seen during votes in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, was sworn in on February 5, 1996, following the resignation of former Oregon Sen. Bob Packwood. He is 77 years old and plans to run for reelection in 2028. Sen. Patty Murray — 33 years US Senator Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington, questions US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies at a Senate Appropriations Committee Defense Subcommittee hearing on "A Review of the President's FY2026 Budget Request for the Department of Defense" in Washington, DC on June 11, 2025. Murray, a Democrat from Washington, is 76 years old and has been a member of the Senate since January 3, 1993. She plans to run for reelection in 2028. Sen. Mitch McConnell — 41 years Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, speaks to members of the media as he arrives at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026. McConnell returned to the US Senate on Monday for the first time since suffering from a fall at his home on June 14. Photographer: McConnell, a Republican representing Kentucky, took office on January 3, 1985. At 84, he has experienced a number of health challenges in recent years, including a nearly four-week-long hospitalization that began in June after emergency responders were dispatched to his home. McConnell is not seeking reelection in 2026 and will retire when his term ends. Sen. Chuck Grassley — 45 years Sen. Chuck Grassley. Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, is also the oldest sitting member of the Senate at 93. He has served as a senator since January 3, 1981. Grassley will be up for reelection in 2028, but he told reporters in October that he has not decided if he will run again. Read the original article on Business Insider

Read it at Business Insider ↗

← Front page