Reed and Whitehouse are backing Schumer in Senate leadership battle

Detailed summary

There’s nothing ambiguous about where Reed and Whitehouse stand in the leadership battle, and they’re well positioned to play vital roles in the next Congress regardless of who wins.

The big news out of Washington this morning is that Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland is running for majority leader in January, challenging Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.

So where do Rhode Island Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse stand in the leadership battle?

Reed issued a statement Thursday night saying he is sticking with Schumer “for the simple reason that Chuck is incredibly effective at the job.”

Whitehouse previously told The Washington Post that “Schumer delivering a Democratic Senate certainly justifies another term as leader.”

The bigger picture: There’s nothing ambiguous about where Reed and Whitehouse stand in the leadership battle. The good news for them is that they’re well-positioned to play vital roles in the next Congress regardless of who wins.

Unlike in the Rhode Island General Assembly, where a change in legislative leadership can dramatically reshape the distribution of power and key committee chairmanships, the US Senate still operates largely on seniority.

That means Reed is expected to take over as chairman of the Armed Services Committee, while Whitehouse is in line to chair the Judiciary Committee. Both are currently the top Democrats on those panels, and the traditional seniority system gives them a clear path to the gavels.

Last week’s blue wave is giving Democrats their biggest Senate majority in more than a decade, with at least 55 seats and potentially more once the remaining races are settled.

Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him @danmcgowan.

Opening of the article, excerpted from The Boston Globe. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.