During the 11th congress (beginning in 2009), the U.S. senate had a total of 98 Democrats and Republicans. There were 14 fewer Republicans than Democrats. How many democrats and republicans were there in the senate?

Answer 1

Let's assume the number of Democrats in the Senate is D.
Therefore, the number of Republicans in the Senate is D - 14.
The total number of senators is the sum of Democrats and Republicans, which is D + (D - 14) = 98.
Combining like terms, we get 2D - 14 = 98.
Adding 14 to both sides, we have 2D = 112.
Dividing both sides by 2, we get D = 56.
Therefore, there were 56 Democrats and 56 - 14 = 42 Republicans in the Senate. Answer: \boxed{56, 42}.