The Buddhists Of Congress
There are two Buddhists in Congress at present, the only Buddhists ever to have served on Capitol Hill. Both are in the House of Representatives: Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Henry Johnson of Georgia (also known as Hank).
Both Johnson and Hirono are Democrats, and more progressive than most members of the House of Representatives, with Johnson earning a net legislative score of 52, and Hirono earning a net legislative score of 59 for the current session of Congress. A perfect progressive (there are none in Congress) would receive a score of 100. The most progressive member of the House, Bob Filner, has achieved a score of 77.
Unlike many of the Christian members of Congress, who loudly declare their religion to be at the core of their political identities, Representatives Hirono and Johnson keep their religious identities a private matter separate from their public service. Neither even mentions any affiliation with Buddhism in their official online biographies.
[...] in the entire U.S. Congress – one senator and two representatives. Unlike recent Muslim and Buddhist additions to Congress, however, the current UUs are by no means the first members of their religion [...]