# What is "D-MA" (as in "Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA)") **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 13, 2019, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-d-ma-as-in-elizabeth-warren-s-d-ma/843363 "2019-11-13T14:38:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MaverocK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@MaverocK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaverocK)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2019, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-d-ma-as-in-elizabeth-warren-s-d-ma/843363/1 "2019-11-13T14:38:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Wall Street has not been shy in expressing reservations over Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s **(D-MA)** presidential candidacy — given her desire to install a wealth tax. Now, you can add one of the world’s richest people to the list of those who are less than thrilled by the prospect of a Warren presidency. Source: [Who is Bill Gates Supporting for President: Trump or Warren?](https://www.mediaite.com/election-2020/bill-gates-goes-after-warren-on-wealth-tax-wont-commit-to-backing-her-over-trump-voting-for-whoevers-more-professional/) What does “D-MA” mean in the quote above? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2019, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-d-ma-as-in-elizabeth-warren-s-d-ma/843363/2 "2019-11-13T14:39:43Z")
> [@MaverocK](#): > > Source: [Who is Bill Gates Supporting for President: Trump or Warren?](https://www.mediaite.com/election-2020/bill-gates-goes-after-warren-on-wealth-tax-wont-commit-to-backing-her-over-trump-voting-for-whoevers-more-professional/) > > What does “D-MA” mean in the quote above? 🙂 “Democrat” (her party affiliation) and “Massachusetts” - the state she represents. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2019, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-d-ma-as-in-elizabeth-warren-s-d-ma/843363/3 "2019-11-13T14:45:27Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > “Democrat” (her party affiliation) and “Massachusetts” - the state she represents. You will also see ‘R’ for Republican and ‘I’ for Independent. I don’t think any other parties are currently represented in the House or Senate. Each of the 50 US states has a [2 letter abbreviation](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._postal_abbreviations). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2019, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-d-ma-as-in-elizabeth-warren-s-d-ma/843363/4 "2019-11-13T14:46:36Z")
Right. In news articles, members of Congress are typically identified by party (D or R) and the two-letter abbreviation for their state. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2019, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-d-ma-as-in-elizabeth-warren-s-d-ma/843363/5 "2019-11-13T14:48:49Z")
It is also used by Fox News to designate a scandal-plagued Republican. That’s happened so often it is a GQ answer. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2019, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-d-ma-as-in-elizabeth-warren-s-d-ma/843363/6 "2019-11-13T14:59:18Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > It is also used by Fox News to designate a scandal-plagued Republican. That’s happened so often it is a GQ answer. **Moderating** Let’s keep political jabs out of this. (And true or not, it’s still a political jab.) Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2019, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-d-ma-as-in-elizabeth-warren-s-d-ma/843363/7 "2019-11-13T20:13:36Z")
For members of the House of Representatives you may also occasionally run into something like this: Joe Cunningham - D-SC1 That means that Joe Cunningham - my own Rep - is a Democrat representing South Carolina’s first congressional district. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2019, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-d-ma-as-in-elizabeth-warren-s-d-ma/843363/8 "2019-11-13T23:01:53Z")
You’ll sometimes see that for Representatives, but more often, they’ll just get “D-SC”, like a Senator would. Few people know or care what the individual Congressional districts are in a state. If it’s important, then they’ll spell out somewhere in the article “Smith, whose district includes the western half of Metropolis…”, or the like.