He’s looking to bring in more women and others to lead (and spread around) what appears to be 51-49 Democratic majority coming in January…..
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is proposing a change to his leadership team’s structure next Congress that appears likely to promote Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Amy Klobuchar, according to two Democratic aides familiar with the matter and a copy of the proposal obtained by POLITICO on Wednesday.
With Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) planning to vacate the No. 3 leadership slot, the Senate majority leader is suggesting eliminating the position of assistant leader from the caucus’ hierarchy. He also is creating a new role titled deputy conference secretary, according to messages sent to Democratic staffers on Wednesday afternoon.
Schumer is not imposing radical changes to his team after a successful defense of his Senate majority, and he appears set to keep a structure that includes a wide ideological swath of members at the table. The New York Democrat often makes big decisions after consulting across the spectrum of his members, and he is continuing that strategy as Murray exits the formal leadership team….
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Schumer’s leadership team is sprawling, with several tiers and meetings on Monday evening and Tuesday mornings followed by a full caucus lunch. Still, there is some consternation among more junior members that it’s difficult to crack the top rungs. Senate Republicans have term limits on every top five leadership slot except for Republican leader.
The top Democratic and Republican leaders give weekly press conferences each week as well, making the top jobs more visible. Murray is leaving the top leadership as she prepares to chair the Appropriations Committee and become Senate pro tempore, which places her in the line of presidential succession….