Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was unanimously chosen to lead his fellow Democrats in the next Congress, his colleagues electing him as head of their caucus for the fifth time since 2016.
"I am honored and humbled to be chosen by my colleagues to continue leading Senate Democrats during this crucial period for our country," Schumer said in a statement posted on social media. "As I have long said, our preference is to secure bipartisan solutions wherever possible and look for ways to collaborate with our Republican colleagues to help working families," he continued. "However, our Republican colleagues should make no mistake about it, we will always stand up for our values."
Schumer will be returning to the next Congress in the minority after Republicans secured a 53-seat majority in the 2024 election, unseating Democratic incumbents in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Montana, while picking up an open seat in West Virginia.
Also retaining his leadership position is Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who currently chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee and will continue to serve as the Democratic whip, the second highest position in the caucus, HuffPost reported. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., however, will rise to third in command, serving as head of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, while Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., will serve as head of the Strategic Communications Committee.
The Hill reported that Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Mark Warner, D-Va., will remain vice chairs of the Senate Democratic Conference, while Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.,will serve as conference secretary; Sens. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and Chris Murphy, D-Ct., will serve as deputy secretaries.
Senate Democrats' outreach efforts will continue to be led by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., with Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., serving as vice chair.
