Sen. Brian Schatz is already receiving endorsements, but the leadership race to replace retiring Sen. Dick Durbin as the chamber’s number two Democrat is still a year and a half away.
Schatz, 52, of Hawaii, has been actively working behind the scenes to rally support for the Senate Democratic whip position since Durbin, 80, of Illinois, declared last week that he would not run for reelection in 2026. He has obtained at least eight endorsements and had important allies address colleagues.
There is still time for others to enter the competition to become the top vote-counter for Democrats. Former presidential candidate and current No. 3 Senate Democrat Amy Klobuchar, 64, of Minnesota, hasn’t ruled out a run for office. Patty Murray, 74, of Washington, who has served in a number of leadership positions over the years and is currently the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, has also been floated by others.
Since the contest to replace Durbin won’t happen until after the 2026 midterms, Schatz expects that having an advantage over other possible opponents will help him win the election.
Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., have already endorsed him and encouraged other members to do the same.
“Right now, we’re doing the work and I’m continuing conversations with members,” Schatz stated on Thursday. “I just have a view that when you realize you want to run, you just get started.”
Democrats John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, Raphael Warnock of Georgia, and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, who also represents Hawaii, are also supporting Schatz’s campaign.
“I support Brian Schatz,” Lujan stated on Thursday. “Brian has been working in this capacity as a deputy whip for as long as I’ve been in the U.S. Senate. He shares information, he’s honest with members, and in my opinion he’s earned the trust of colleagues, as well. He’s also a good person; he’s an honest person. I think he’s a strong member of the Senate.
“No one else has reached out to me yet,” Lujan continued. “That sounds to me like he has broad support across the way, and I think that’s encouraging.”
Warnock described Schatz as a “effective leader” in a statement.
In order to prevent embarrassing floor disasters where bills or nominations could unexpectedly fail by extremely narrow margins, the whip’s primary responsibility is to keep tabs on the senators in the caucus and ensure that leadership is aware of how each planned to vote.
The fact that the victor might eventually be promoted to Democratic leader in a matter of years makes the contest crucial. Chuck Schumer, a 74-year-old New Yorker, has been the organization’s leader for the last 20 years.
As he deals with criticism from the liberal base and calls for generational change from younger Democrats, Schumer will have to make a decision on whether to run for reelection in 2028.
Elections for leadership are conducted by secret ballot and behind closed doors. A senator must have the backing of a simple majority of Senate Democrats in order to be elected.
If Schatz were to win, he would be ahead of several Democrats in the leadership structure; he is now Durbin’s top deputy whip and the deputy secretary of the Democratic conference.
Not having a woman in either of the Senate Democratic Caucus’s top two leadership positions would likewise continue if he wins. As vice chair of outreach, Nevada’s Catherine Cortez Masto has not yet backed a candidate for the No. 2 spot.
However, she asserted that having women in some of the highest leadership positions is crucial for Democrats.
“Listen, we’re going to have time as a party to take a look at that,” Cortez Masto stated on Thursday. “But I think there should be women in leadership positions at all levels.”
“I’m No. 3 in the Senate, and my job is to focus on what policies are going to move our country forward,” Klobuchar stated.
“I am focused on one thing right now, and that is taking on Donald Trump and gaining a better economy for the people of this country,” she continued. “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, who’s going to get this, is a mistake.”
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After Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, passed away in 2012, Schatz, a former lieutenant governor of Hawaii, took over as senator. During his first term, Schatz gained national recognition by using social media to criticize Trump.
The fact that Schatz was one of just ten Democrats to support a GOP bill to keep the government afloat in order to prevent a shutdown this year received harsh condemnation from progressives.
Reema Dodin, his chief of staff, was a Biden administration staffer who formerly served as Durbin’s floor director in his whip office.
Having served as Senate Democratic whip for the last 20 years and a member of Congress since 1982, Durbin stated that he has no intention of supporting anyone.
