The number two Democrat in the United States Senate is stepping down from his post in January 2027, and that opens the way for several ambitious senators to move into leadership roles. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin is calling it quits after serving in Congress from 1983-1997 and the Senate from 1997 to the present. He was elected Democratic Whip in 2005.
It’s widely believed that Hawaiian Senator Brian Schatz has the inside track to replace him. Schatz is deputy whip and, as things go in the Senate, seniority matters most.
But there are rumblings among Democratic Party backbenchers that changes are necessary. The 2024 election saw a Democratic Party massacre as it lost the House, the Senate, and the presidency. The octogenarians who are running the party refuse to get out of the way so that the next generation can take over.
Durbin, in his own way, may be trying to nudge the party to get younger. And his retirement could be a continuation of the fallout from what happened to Joe Biden.
“This is fallout from the ‘Biden Effect,'” said Rutgers University political scientist Ross Baker. “It contaminated old Democrats.”
Indeed, now-former Sens. Benjamin Cardin of Maryland (81), Tom Carper of Delaware (78), Debbie Stabenow of Michigan (74), and Democrat-turned-independent Joe Manchin of West Virginia (77), all declared their exits in 2024. Only Manchin’s seat flipped to the GOP. But age in the leadership fight may also play a role.
The age issue is present in both parties.
Fox News:
The oldest member of Congress – Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, at 91 – is the rare example of a lawmaker who has not been in the retirement discussion due to the “Biden effect” or any other phenomenon.
On the left, the same appeared to be true for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who – though older than Biden – was contrasted with him on an energy and cognitive level throughout the campaign season.
Sanders has signaled he may seek to serve a fourth term in 2030, when he will be 89, according to the Burlington Free Press. “Friends of Bernie Sanders” has already been listed on a Federal Election Commission filing for the 2030 sweeps.
Gun control fanatic David Hogg, who somehow finagled a seat on the Democratic National Committee, went so far as to initiate a project to recruit younger Democrats to run against older ones.
“Today’s party politics has an unwritten rule – if you win a seat, it’s yours for life. No one serious in your party will challenge you. That is a culture that we have to break,” the 25-year-old Hogg wrote on his political website, Leaders We Deserve.
Like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez before him, who was nearly kneecapped by then-House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi for tying the same thing, Hogg is receiving enormous pushback from veteran Democrats.
During a member call on Thursday, DNC Chair Ken Martin is expected to announce a proposal to change the party’s rules to mandate all DNC officers stay neutral in all Democratic primaries, according to a person directly familiar with the plan and granted anonymity to describe private discussions. The move comes after Hogg pledged last week to spend millions of dollars funding challenges to “asleep-at-the-wheel” Democrats in primaries, igniting a firestorm inside the DNC.
Replacing Durbin isn’t the only long-term problem facing Democrats. Standing in the way of change is Majority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer, who likes to keep a tight rein on members. The New York senator voted in favor of the GOP budget proposal in March, setting off a firestorm that still hasn’t died down.
However, Schumer has the enormous advantage of having placed key allies in vital positions, which is why he survived the vote on Trump’s budget. It was never a close call that he would be replaced, although several senators took note of Schumer’s reaction, which could make the 2027 leadership election very interesting.
If the Democrats devolve into a full-scale brawl with several positions opening up, all bets are off, and Schumer may end up on the outs.
Axios:
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, 64, of Minnesota wants the job, sources tell Axios. Schumer made her the No. 3 Senate Dem last year, and she’s respected by her colleagues.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, 61, of Nevada is also interested in moving up, although it’s not clear if she’s ready to challenge Schatz or Klobuchar.
Schatz and Cortez Masto voted with Schumer last month in support of a GOP spending plan to avert a government shutdown.
Those votes were seen as key indicators of their interest in leadership gigs.
Schumer made his leadership reputation as a peacemaker rather than a leader who knocks heads together. That may play to his advantage if the 2027 Democratic leadership election turns into a free-for-all.
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