Sanders Eyes Key Senate Leadership Position

Following the Democrats’ defeat on the national stage in the 2016 election, Sen. Bernie Sanders is looking to a new election: a leadership role in the U.S. Senate. A spokesman for Sanders said the Vermont Independent is considering such a role ahead of the Democratic caucus elections.

Sanders’ spokesman Michael Briggs did not verify to The Nation what positions the senator is looking at, but disclosed that Sanders is “thinking about”.

With the current Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid retiring at the end of the current session, Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democrat from New York, will fill the position leaving the number two position in the party open to a possible fight.

Sen. Dick Durban, the Illinois Democrat, may face challenge from Sen. Patty Murray, the Washington Democrat, to fill the position.

“[S]he is having conversations with Senator Schumer and others about what the Democratic leadership team should look like and where she can best contribute from,” Eli Zupnick, Murray’s spokesman, said, reports The Hill.

Outside the Senate, U.S. Representative Keith Ellison may face former Vermont government Howard Dean for the role of Democratic National Committee chair, reports the Washington Post.

According to The Hill, Sen. Sanders is currently the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee and is in line to become the Budget Committee chairman. 

Sources: The Hill, Washington Post / Photo Credit: Greg Nash/The Hill