Sheldon Whitehouse

Democrat junior Senator of Rhode Island

Senator
Rhode Island
January 4, 2007 - January 3, 2013
Senator
Rhode Island
January 3, 2013 - January 3, 2019
Senator
Rhode Island
January 3, 2019 - January 3, 2025

202-224-2921

@SenWhitehouse

whitehouse.senate.gov

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Congresses Served

Senate Terms

January 1, 1955 (69 years old)

Birthday

Served as the junior United States senator since 2007
Previously served as the United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island (1993-1998) and as the Attorney General of Rhode Island (1999-2003)
Known for being a political progressive and a climate hawk
Became chair of the United States Senate Committee on the Budget in 2023
Has given hundreds of Senate floor speeches about climate change
Asserts that conservative “dark money” groups are trying to control the American government, especially the Supreme Court
Born in New York City to a family with a history of diplomatic and political involvement
Graduated from Yale College and received a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law
Worked in various legal and regulatory positions in Rhode Island before entering politics
Ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for governor of Rhode Island in 2002
Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006, reelected in 2012 and 2018
Ranked as the second-most liberal senator by the National Journal in 2007
Supported the confirmations of Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court
Called for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’s resignation in 2007
Speculated as a possible nominee for U.S. Attorney General in 2014 and for the Supreme Court in 2016
Faced criticism for alleged insider trading and failure to disclose stock purchases in accordance with the STOCK Act
Opposed D.C. statehood in 2018 but cosponsored a Senate bill for D.C. statehood in 2020
Introduced the Safeguarding America’s Future and Environment (SAFE) Act in 2011
Advocated for prosecution of fossil fuel industry members under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)
Supported limiting U.S. support for the War in Yemen after activist pressure
Supports gun control legislation and voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Signed a letter requesting the FDA to revise its policy on tissue donation by men who have had sex with men
Critic of “dark money” in politics, despite benefiting from it and receiving campaign donations from environmental groups
Called for an investigation into the FBI’s investigation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh
Married to Sandra Thornton, a marine biologist, and has two children
Has faced scrutiny for his family’s membership in an elite private club accused of lacking diversity
Portrayed in media, including the film “The Report” and on “Saturday Night Live”
Authored publications on corporate influence in American democracy and the conservative movement’s impact on the Supreme Court