Eleven Georgetown Law Alumni Will Serve in the 117th Congress

November 11, 2020

As Dean William M. Treanor is fond of saying, “Georgetown Law students choose to study in the place where laws are made.”

It is therefore no surprise that many graduates stay in or return to the nation’s capital to become lawmakers themselves — and over the years, 91 alumni have served as elected U.S. senators and representatives.

It took some time for all the 2020 election results to be compiled, but one week after Election Day, it is confirmed that all eight Law Center alumni currently serving in Congress who stood for reelection will return to Capitol Hill next year. With three additional alumni in the Senate who were not up for election this year, there will be 11 Georgetown Law graduates in the 117th Congress.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, six Georgetown Law graduates were reelected: David Cicilline (D-R.I.)(L’86), Lois Frankel (D-Fla.)(L’73), Steny Hoyer (D-Md.)(L’66), Ann McLane Kuster (D-N.H.)(L’84), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.)(L’94) and Rebecca (“Mikie”) Sherrill (D-N.J.)(L’07).

Three additional Law Center alumni ran for House seats in 2020 but were not elected — of note, Rosemary Becchi (L’94) challenged Sherrill in New Jersey’s 11th district, making that race something of an intramural Georgetown Law match-up.

An additional member of the Georgetown Law community was reelected to Congress: Professor Emerita Eleanor Holmes Norton (H’77, H’18), who was first elected as the District of Columbia delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1990.

Two alumni will retire from the House of Representatives and did not stand for reelection: Indiana Democrat Pete Visclosky (L’82), who served 18 terms, and Florida Republican Francis Rooney (C’75, L’78), who served two.

In the Senate, two of five Georgetown Law alumni were up for reelection. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)(F’66, L’69) easily won a fifth term. For Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska)(L’93, MSFS’93), the vote counting took some time, but on Wednesday, November 11, multiple media outlets projected he had been elected for a second term.

Senators and graduates Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii)(L’78), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)(L’64, H’94) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)(L’90) continue to serve.

Two other Senate races this year included Georgetown Law alumni. In South Carolina, Democrat Jaime Harrison (L’04) drew national attention for his strong challenge to incumbent Senator Lindsey Graham, but despite record-breaking fundraising, his bid fell short on Election Day.