Number of small-business owners entering Congress jumps

In the class of 2008, there were 11. (This year's) elections will send 33 small-business owners and entrepreneurs to Washington, according to The Agenda’s exhaustive (and exhausting) search. All are Republicans. Two are women.

Fourteen of them have never held elective office before. Most of the rest, though, have served in their state legislatures – and some even led their chambers. The campaign website of Daniel Webster, an air-conditioning service provider, boasts that as Republican leader in the Florida House, he “engineered the successful Republican takeover of 1996, ending 122 years of Democrat control.”

At least nine invest in, sell, or rent real estate. Seven own farms or ranches. (One does both.) One man built his enterprise into a large company before selling it to a private equity fund.

As with last year, The Agenda does not count professional practices (such as doctors, lawyers, accountants, and consultants) or passive investors without significant daily managerial responsibilities or employees to oversee. We’ve also excluded people who sold or left their businesses more than five years ago. Finally, several races have not yet been officially decided, including three with candidates claiming small business or entrepreneurial experience, so we have not included them, either.

For the list of small-business owners, click here.