Hawaii was admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959, and elects U.S. senators to Classes 1 and 3. Seven people including only one Republican have served as a U.S. senator from Hawaii. The state's current U.S. senators are Democrats Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono. Hawaii's Class 1 seat is the only one in the United States that has always been held by an ethnic minority. Its Class 3 seat is the only one in the United States that has always been held by a member of the Democratic Party.