Senator Rick Scott became the six member of the U.S. Congress to announce a positive coronavirus test just this week, as the illness rages across the United States. At least 21 Republican and 11 Democratic members of Congress have tested positive, or were presumed to have had COVID-19, this year.
Here is a look at lawmakers affected by the virus:
Senator Rick Scott
Scott, 67, had been quarantining after being exposed to the virus before he announced on Thursday that he had tested positive after several negative tests.
“I am feeling good and experiencing very mild symptoms,” the Republican said in a statement, adding that he would be working from his home in Naples, Florida, until it was safe to return to Washington.
Representative Dan Newhouse
“I began to feel a little run-down yesterday, so I took a COVID-19 test,” Newhouse, 65, a Republican from Washington, wrote Wednesday on Twitter.
“Last night, the results came back positive for the virus,” he wrote. Newhouse said his symptoms were mild, and he was quarantining and working from home.
Representative Earl Perlmutter
Perlmutter, a Democrat from Colorado, announced Tuesday he had tested positive for the coronavirus but was asymptomatic. He said he would isolate in his apartment in Washington, while voting remotely in the House of Representatives.
“As we enter the holiday season, I encourage everyone to continue to heed the warnings of no personal gatherings, social distancing and wearing a mask,” Perlmutter, 67, said in a statement.
Senator Chuck Grassley
Grassley, 87, Republican chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said on Tuesday he had tested positive. “While I still feel fine, the test came back positive for the coronavirus,” he said in a statement.
As the Senate’s President Pro Tempore, Grassley, of Iowa, is third in line for the presidency, after the vice president and House speaker.
Representative Cheri Bustos
Bustos, outgoing chairwoman of the Democrats’ campaign arm in the House, said on Twitter Monday she had tested positive. “I am experiencing mild symptoms but still feel well,” she said.
Bustos, 59, was self-isolating and had notified all individuals with whom she had had contact. She said she would work from home in Illinois until cleared by her physician.
Last week, Bustos said she would not seek a second term as chairwoman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee after House Democrats lost seats, but maintained their majority, in the Nov. 3 election.
Representative Tim Walberg
Walberg said on Monday he had tested positive for the coronavirus.
In a statement, the 69-year-old Michigan Republican said he had mild symptoms and was in good spirits. He said it has been more than a week since he attended a public event, was tracing his contacts and would work from home until he recovers.
Representative Don Young
The longest-serving Republican in Congress, Young, 87, said Nov. 12 he had been infected. He was admitted to the hospital over the weekend, but has been discharged and is working and recovering at home, Young wrote on Twitter on Monday.
“I want Alaskans to know that their Congressman is alive, feeling better, and on the road to recovery,” Young – who had ridiculed coronavirus as the “beer virus” – said. “Very frankly, I had not felt this sick in a very long time, and I am grateful to everyone who has kept me in their thoughts and prayers.”
This is a list of members of Congress who tested positive, or were presumed to be positive, before this month:
Representative Drew Ferguson, 45, a Georgia Republican.
Representative Bill Huizenga, 51, a Michigan Republican.
Representative Mike Bost, 59, a Republican from Illinois.
Representative Salud Carbajal, 56, a California Democrat.
Senator Ron Johnson, 65, Republican of Wisconsin.
Senator Mike Lee, 49, Republican of Utah.
Senator Thom Tillis, 60, Republican from North Carolina.
Representative Jahana Hayes, 47, a Connecticut Democrat.
Senator Bill Cassidy, 63, a Louisiana Republican.
Representative Rodney Davis, 50, Republican of Illinois.
Representative Dan Meuser, 45, a Pennsylvania Republican.
Representative Raul Grijalva, 72, an Arizona Democrat.
Representative Louie Gohmert, 67, Republican of Texas.
Representative Morgan Griffith, 62, a Virginia Republican.
Representative Tom Rice, 63, a South Carolina Republican.
Senator Tim Kaine, 62, a Virginia Democrat.
Senator Bob Casey, 60, a Pennsylvania Democrat.
Representative Neal Dunn, 67, a Florida Republican.
Representative Joe Cunningham, 38, a South Carolina Democrat.
Representative Mike Kelly, 72, a Pennsylvania Republican.
Senator Rand Paul, 57, a Kentucky Republican.
Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, 59, a Florida Republican.
Representative Ben McAdams, 45, a Utah Democrat.
Representative Nydia Velazquez, 67, a New York Democrat.
Representative Seth Moulton, 42, a Massachusetts Democrat.
(Compiled by Susan Cornwell and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Jonathan Oatism Stephen Coates, Grant McCool and Dan Grebler)
