Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid endorsed New York Sen. Chuck Schumer to succeed him as Democratic leader Friday.
Reid announced earlier in the day he would not seek reelection in 2016 after 34 years in Congress. Schumer, who many believed would eventually step into the Reid’s position, is currently the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate.
The only real competition would likely come fromm Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin.
“I think Schumer should be able to succeed me,” Reid told a Washington Post reporter on Friday morning during an interview at his home in Washington. Reid believes that Durbin will step aside for Schumer.
The minority leader spoke with Durbin on Friday morning.
Some liberals wonder if Schumer should be leading the party given his connections to Wall Street, but Reid believes they should accept Schumer. He said that members like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren would continue to represent the more populist part of the caucus.
Schumer, known to reporters on the Hill for often avoiding questions and slipping into elevators to avoid press gaggles, was described by Reid to the Post as “extremely smart” and would have a “different style” than the Nevadan’s soft-spoken delivery.