Party leaders of the United States Senate
The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and members of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as the chief spokespersons for their respective political parties holding the majority and the minority in the United States Senate. They are each elected as majority leader and minority leader by the senators of their party caucuses: the Senate Democratic Caucus and the Senate Republican Conference.
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Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
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Dick Durbin (D-IL)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
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John Thune (R-SD)
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By Senate precedent, the presiding officer gives the majority leader priority in obtaining recognition to speak on the floor of the Senate. The majority leader serves as the chief representative of their party in the Senate, and is considered the most powerful member of the Senate. They also serve as the chief representative of their party in the entire Congress if the House of Representatives, and thus the office of the speaker of the House, is controlled by the opposition party. The Senate's executive and legislative business is also managed and scheduled by the majority leader.
The assistant majority leader and assistant minority leader of the United States Senate, commonly called whips, are the second-ranking members of each party's leadership. The main function of the majority and minority whips is to gather votes of their respective parties on major issues. As the second-ranking members of Senate leadership, if there is no floor leader present, the whip may become acting floor leader.
Current floor leaders
The Senate is currently composed of 49 Republicans, 48 Democrats, and 3 independents; all the independents caucus with the Democrats.
The current leaders are Senators Chuck Schumer (D) of New York and Mitch McConnell (R) of Kentucky.[1] The current assistant leaders, or whips, are Senators Dick Durbin (D) of Illinois and John Thune (R) of South Dakota.
History
By at least 1850, parties in each chamber of Congress began naming chairs, and while conference and caucus chairs carried very little authority, the Senate party floor leader positions arose from the position of conference chair.[2] Senate Democrats began the practice of electing their floor leaders in 1920 while they were in the minority. John W. Kern was a Democratic senator from Indiana. While the title was not official, the Senate website identifies Kern as the first Senate party leader, serving in that capacity from 1913 through 1917 (and in turn, the first Senate Democratic leader), while serving concurrently as chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus.[3] In 1925, the Republicans (who were in the majority at the time) also adopted this language when Charles Curtis became the first (official) majority leader,[4] although his immediate predecessor Henry Cabot Lodge is considered the first (unofficial) Senate majority leader.
The United States Constitution designates the Vice President of the United States as president of the Senate. The Constitution also calls for a president pro tempore, to serve as the presiding officer when the president of the Senate (the vice president) is absent. In practice, neither the vice president nor the president pro tempore—customarily the most senior (longest-serving) senator in the majority party—actually presides over the Senate on a daily basis; that task is given to junior senators of the majority party. Since the vice president may be of a different party from the majority and is not a Senate member subject to discipline, the rules of procedure of the Senate give the Vice President no power beyond the presiding role. For these reasons, it is the majority leader who, in practice, manages the Senate. This is in contrast to the House of Representatives, where the elected speaker of the House has a great deal of discretionary power and generally presides over votes on legislative bills.
List of party leaders
The Democratic Party first selected a leader in 1920. The Republican Party first formally designated a leader in 1925.[5]
| Congress | Dates | Democratic whip | Democratic leader | Majority | Republican leader | Republican whip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63rd | May 28, 1913 – March 4, 1915 |
J. Hamilton Lewis | None | Democratic ← majority |
None | None |
| 64th | March 4, 1915 – December 6, 1915 | |||||
| December 6, 1915 – December 13, 1915 |
James Wadsworth | |||||
| December 13, 1915 – March 4, 1917 |
Charles Curtis | |||||
| 65th | March 4, 1917 – March 4, 1919 | |||||
| 66th | March 4, 1919 – April 27, 1920 |
Peter Gerry | Republican majority → |
Henry Cabot Lodge Unofficial | ||
| April 27, 1920 – March 4, 1921 |
Oscar Underwood | |||||
| 67th | March 4, 1921 – March 4, 1923 | |||||
| 68th | March 4, 1923 – December 3, 1923 | |||||
| December 3, 1923 – November 9, 1924 |
Joseph T. Robinson | |||||
| November 9, 1924 – March 4, 1925 |
Charles Curtis Acting |
Wesley Jones Acting | ||||
| 69th | March 4, 1925 – March 4, 1927 |
Charles Curtis | Wesley Jones | |||
| 70th | March 4, 1927 – March 4, 1929 | |||||
| 71st | March 4, 1929 – March 4, 1931 |
Morris Sheppard | James E. Watson | Simeon Fess | ||
| 72nd | March 4, 1931 – March 4, 1933 | |||||
| 73rd | March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935 |
J. Hamilton Lewis | Democratic ← majority |
Charles L. McNary | Felix Hebert | |
| 74th | January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1937 |
None[lower-alpha 1] | ||||
| 75th | January 3, 1937 – July 14, 1937 | |||||
| July 14, 1937 – January 3, 1939 |
Alben W. Barkley | |||||
| 76th | January 3, 1939 – April 9, 1939 | |||||
| April 9, 1939 – January 3, 1940 |
Sherman Minton | |||||
| January 3, 1940 – January 3, 1941 |
Warren Austin Acting | |||||
| 77th | January 3, 1941 – January 3, 1943 |
J. Lister Hill | Charles L. McNary | |||
| 78th | January 3, 1943 – February 25, 1944 |
Kenneth Wherry | ||||
| February 25, 1944 – January 3, 1945 |
Wallace H. White Acting | |||||
| 79th | January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1947 |
Wallace H. White | ||||
| 80th | January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949 |
Scott W. Lucas | Republican majority → | |||
| 81st | January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1951 |
Francis Myers | Scott W. Lucas | Democratic ← majority |
Kenneth S. Wherry | Leverett Saltonstall |
| 82nd | January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1952 |
Lyndon B. Johnson | Ernest McFarland | |||
| January 3, 1952 – January 3, 1953 |
Styles Bridges | |||||
| 83rd | January 3, 1953 – July 31, 1953 |
Earle Clements | Lyndon B. Johnson | Republican majority → |
Robert A. Taft | |
| August 3, 1953 – January 3, 1955 |
William Knowland | |||||
| 84th | January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1957 |
Democratic ← majority | ||||
| 85th | January 3, 1957 – January 3, 1959 |
Mike Mansfield | Everett Dirksen | |||
| 86th | January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1961 |
Everett Dirksen | Thomas Kuchel | |||
| 87th | January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1963 |
Hubert Humphrey | Mike Mansfield | |||
| 88th | January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1965 | |||||
| 89th | January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1967 |
Russell B. Long | ||||
| 90th | January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1969 | |||||
| 91st | January 3, 1969 – September 7, 1969 |
Ted Kennedy | Hugh Scott | |||
| September 24, 1969 – January 3, 1971 |
Hugh Scott | Robert Griffin | ||||
| 92nd | January 3, 1971 – January 3, 1973 |
Robert Byrd | ||||
| 93rd | January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1975 | |||||
| 94th | January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1977 | |||||
| 95th | January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1979 |
Alan Cranston | Robert Byrd | Howard Baker | Ted Stevens | |
| 96th | January 3, 1979 – November 1, 1979 | |||||
| November 1, 1979 – March 5, 1980 |
Ted Stevens Acting | |||||
| March 5, 1980 – January 3, 1981 |
Howard Baker | |||||
| 97th | January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1983 |
Republican majority → | ||||
| 98th | January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1985 | |||||
| 99th | January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1987 |
Bob Dole | Alan Simpson | |||
| 100th | January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1989 |
Democratic ← majority | ||||
| 101st | January 3, 1989 – January 3, 1991 |
George Mitchell | ||||
| 102nd | January 3, 1991 – January 3, 1993 |
Wendell Ford | ||||
| 103rd | January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1995 | |||||
| 104th | January 3, 1995 – June 12, 1996 |
Tom Daschle | Republican majority → |
Trent Lott | ||
| June 12, 1996 – January 3, 1997 |
Trent Lott | Don Nickles | ||||
| 105th | January 3, 1997 – January 3, 1999 | |||||
| 106th | January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2001 |
Harry Reid | ||||
| 107th | January 3, 2001 – January 20, 2001 |
Democratic ← majority | ||||
| January 20, 2001 – June 6, 2001 |
Republican majority → | |||||
| June 6, 2001 – November 23, 2002 |
Democratic ← majority | |||||
| November 23, 2002 – January 3, 2003 |
[lower-alpha 2] Republican majority → | |||||
| 108th | January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2005 |
Bill Frist | Mitch McConnell | |||
| 109th | January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007 |
Dick Durbin | Harry Reid | |||
| 110th | January 3, 2007 – December 18, 2007 |
Democratic ← majority |
Mitch McConnell | Trent Lott | ||
| December 19, 2007 – January 3, 2009 |
Jon Kyl | |||||
| 111th | January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011 | |||||
| 112th | January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013 | |||||
| 113th | January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2015 |
John Cornyn | ||||
| 114th | January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2017 |
Republican majority → | ||||
| 115th | January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2019 |
Chuck Schumer | ||||
| 116th | January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2021 |
John Thune | ||||
| 117th | January 3, 2021 – January 20, 2021 | |||||
| January 20, 2021 – January 3, 2023 |
Democratic ← majority | |||||
| 118th | January 3, 2023 – January 3, 2025 | |||||
| Congress | Dates | Democratic whip | Democratic leader | Majority | Republican leader | Republican whip |
See also
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Notes
- No Republican whips were appointed from 1935 to 1944 since the Senate had only 17 Republicans following the landslide reelection of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936. Accordingly, the minutes of the Republican Conference for the period state: "On motion of Senator Hastings, duly seconded and carried, it was agreed that no Assistant Leader or Whip be elected but that the chairman be authorized to appoint Senators from time to time to assist him in taking charge of the interests of the minority." A note attached to the conference minutes added: "The chairman of the conference, Senator McNary, apparently appointed Senator Austin of Vermont as assistant leader in 1943 and 1944, until the conference adopted Rules of Organization."[6]
- Between November 23, 2002, and January 3, 2003, during the 107th Congress, Democrats remained in control, despite a Republican majority resulting from Jim Talent's special election victory in Missouri. There was no reorganization as the Senate was not in session.[7]
References
- "Democrats Take Narrow Control of US Senate as Three New Members Sworn In | Voice of America - English". voanews.com. VOA. January 20, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- Heitshusen, Valerie (September 4, 2019). Party Leaders in the United States Congress, 1789-2019 (PDF) (Report). Congressional Research Service. p. i. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- "Majority and Minority Leaders". senate.gov. United States Senate. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- "Senate Leader". senate.gov. United States Senate. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- "Majority and Minority Leaders". United States Senate. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
- Party Whips Archived March 9, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, via Senate.gov
- Party Division in the Senate, 1789–present, via Senate.gov