Former 2016 presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders will soon be a member of Democratic Senate leadership, where he will serve as outreach chair.
The announcement was made just after Senate Democrats held their leadership elections Wednesday.
New York Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer, who is slated to replace Minority Leader Harry Reid, expanded the team to 10 members — creating a number of new roles. Washington Sen. Patty Murray will take on the role of assistant Democratic leader, which prevented her from challenging Democratic Whip Dick Durbin.
West Virginia Rep. Joe Manchin, whom was rumored to be considering a party switch, will serve as vice chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee.
It “shows we can unite the disparate factions of our party and our country,” Schumer said of the new positions.
Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow said Schumer felt it was important to add Sanders to the team, since he wants to ensure voices across the party are heard.
“I think the platform that he [Sanders] has and what he has been able to do in terms of rounding people across the country and he’s been able to engage people — and that’s going to be very important going forward, because the question is not change, it’s always about the future. We believe you could not find a member of our caucus that does not believe that the system is rigged in favor of the wealthy and well-connected. The question is how do you change that?”
Sanders will also serve as the ranking member of the Senate Committee on the Budget.
House Democrats are expected to hold their leadership elections Nov. 30 after pushing them back to reflect on where they went wrong in the election.
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