Response review

Because the District of Columbia is a federal district and not a U.S. state, **it does not have any official, voting U.S. senators**. 

However, D.C. residents do elect two **"shadow senators"**. These officials are not officially seated in the U.S. Senate and have no voting power. Instead, their primary job is to lobby Congress to grant D.C. full statehood and to advocate for the District's interests. 

Your current shadow senators are:
*   **Paul Strauss** (Senior Shadow Senator)
*   **Ankit Jain** (Junior Shadow Senator, who assumed office in January 2025)

Additionally, while D.C. doesn't have voting senators, it does have a non-voting delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives, currently **Eleanor Holmes Norton**, who can serve on committees, speak on the House floor, and sponsor bills.