ranking member

Cultural  

1. A legislator on a committee who belongs to the majority party and, by virtue of seniority, ranks first after the committee chairman. The most senior member representing the minority party is the ranking minority member of the committee.

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Example Sentences

The bipartisan, bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China, where we serve as chair and ranking member, has worked to expose this threat.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

Durbin is also the Democratic whip in the Senate and serves as the ranking member of Senate Judiciary Committee.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., a ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, has requested answers to that question in a letter sent to both Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

From Salon • Jan. 31, 2026

Rep. Adam Smith is the ranking member of the House committee that’s supposed to have oversight on the Department of Defense—yes, that’s what he still calls it.

From Slate • Jan. 14, 2026

Seniority of committee service was also taken into account when the chairmanship of an important committee became vacant, the next ranking member of the committee having a strong claim to be promoted to the vacancy.

From Government in the United States National, State and Local by Garner, James Wilford