WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid’s decision not to seek re-election will scramble the Democratic leadership team and could spark the first Senate leader race in more than two decades.
Reid’s trio of deputies, Sens. Richard Durbin of Illinois, Patty Murray of Washington and Charles Schumer of New York, have the strongest prospects to move up the leadership ladder if they choose to make a run for the top job.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Reid endorsed Schumer as his successor and said he believed Durbin would not oppose the New York senator’s bid. Reid spokeswoman Kristen Orthman confirmed the endorsement to USA TODAY.
Speculation has long centered on Schumer, an ambitious and well-connected lawmaker whose two terms at the helm of the Democrats’ campaign operation helped capture the Senate majority in 2006 and grow it in 2008. In a statement Friday, Schumer praised Reid as « one of the best human beings I’ve ever met » and said he was respected by the Democratic Caucus for « his strength, his legislative acumen, his honesty and his determination. »
Historically, the Senate tends to defer to seniority, and Durbin has faithfully held the No. 2 post as whip during Reid’s tenure. It remains to be seen, however, how Reid’s endorsement of Schumer will affect Durbin’s plans. Durbin is also respected for his policy chops and legislative record.
Murray could also be a quietly formidable candidate and could draw on her support among the Senate’s Democratic women. A former Budget Committee chairwoman and also a two-term chairwoman of the Senate Democratic campaign operation, Murray has assembled allies across the party’s ideological spectrum. She would also make history: no woman has ever served as a party leader in the Senate.
She could also benefit from pressure to keep a woman in the higher ranks of party leadership. Sens. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts all hold lower-tier leadership posts. A surprise bid by someone like Warren — who enjoys support from the party’s progressive base — could rock a leadership race.
Warren’s supporters wasted no time Friday calling for her, or someone like her, to get in the race. « There will likely not be a coronation to replace Harry Reid as Senate Democratic Leader, and Elizabeth Warren is right up there with others as someone who would be taken very seriously, » the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a liberal advocacy group, said in a statement.
If one thing is certain, Senate leadership races are rare and unpredictable. The last time Senate Democrats saw a competitive bid for leader was in 1994, between then-senators Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and Chris Dodd, D-Conn. The race divided the caucus and resulted in a one-vote victory, 24-23, for Daschle, who went on to serve as party leader for 10 years until he was defeated in a re-election bid by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D.
A competitive race would also test the allegiances of the rank-and-file. Of the 46 senators who caucus with Democrats, which includes two independents, just six of them were in the Senate in 1994 for the last competitive Senate leadership race. Of those six, three are retiring: Reid, Sens. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland and Barbara Boxer of California. The three that remain are Sens. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Dianne Feinstein of California and Murray.
