‘A Mistake’: Senate Democrats Divided Over Race To Pick New Leader

Senate Democrats are clashing over the timing of a race to determine the next Democratic whip after Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), who has held the position for over 20 years, retires at the end of next year.

Sen. Brian Schatz officially launched his run for the No. 2 spot in Democratic leadership on Monday. The 52-year-old Hawaii senator, who currently serves as chief deputy whip, has moved quickly to win support within the caucus, reflecting his not-so-secret ambitions to move up in the ranks with an eye on ultimately becoming Democratic leader.

He already has the backing of a group of Democratic senators, including Cory Booker of New Jersey, Raphael Warnock of Georgia, Mark Kelly of Arizona, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.

But Schatz’s lightning-quick efforts to lock up a job that won’t be open for another 17 months are rubbing some of his fellow Democrats the wrong way.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), the No. 3 Senate Democrat who has also been mentioned as a possible contender in the race for Democratic whip, said that it’s “a mistake” to take attention off fighting President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda with a Democratic leadership race.

“I am focused on one thing right now, and that is taking on Donald Trump and getting a better economy for the people of this country, and I truly believe that talking about something a year and a half from now and we have no idea who’s going to win the Senate ― it’s a mistake,” Klobuchar told reporters on Monday when asked if she planned to run for the position.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) echoed the sentiment in an interview with Semafor, noting the closed-door election won’t take place until after the 2026 midterm elections.

“I like Brian Schatz a lot and I have no interest in the job, but we don’t need to decide the whip race until after the midterms,” Warren told the outlet. “Right now, we need to stay 110% focused on fighting Donald Trump. We need every single senator in this fight focused on Trump.”

Schatz brushed off those concerns, however, telling reporters each senator had a right to move on their own timeline.

“I wouldn’t make a good whip if I didn’t get started as soon as the opening occurred,” Schatz said Monday. “I certainly believe it is within every senator’s right to take their time.”

“Everybody gets to determine when they want to decide, so I don’t begrudge anybody focusing on other things,” he added.

Durbin, meanwhile, said he has no plans to back anyone in the whip race, though he added that one senator was best equipped to succeed him.

“I don’t have any plans of endorsing because I won’t be voting in that race,” he told reporters on Monday.

A party whip typically serves as an assistant leader, counting heads and rounding up party members for votes and quorum calls. If there is no leader present on the floor, the whip may become acting floor leader. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) was elected as the majority whip by Republicans last year after Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) was elected majority leader following Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) stepping down from the role.

Schatz, a centrist Democrat who is well-liked by senators on both sides of the aisle, said his skills at mixing it up with Republicans would serve his party well.

“Not everybody loves the aspect of politics that occurs on the floor,” Schatz told The Washington Post. “This is where I think I can be most useful.”