Democratic Caucus of the United States Senate

The Senate Democratic Caucus (or Conference) is the formal organization of the current 44 Democratic Senators in the United States Senate. In the 114th Congress, the Democratic Caucus additionally includes two independent senators who formally caucus with the Democrats for the purpose of committee assignments and Senate organization, bringing the total to 46 members. The primary organizational front for Democrats in the Senate, its primary function is communicating the party's message to and unifying all of its members. The two independent members are Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine.

Leadership

Effective with the start of the 114th Congress, the conference leadership is as follows:

• Senator Harry Reid (NV) as Chairman and Senate Minority Leader
• Senator Dick Durbin (IL) as Whip or Assistant Minority Leader
• Senator Charles Schumer (NY) as Vice-Chairman
• Senator Patty Murray (WA) as Secretary

In addition, Reid added additional positions to the caucus leadership, following the loss of Majority status in the Senate in the 2014 Senate elections:

• Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA) as Strategic Policy Advisor to the Senate Democratic Policy Committee
• Senator Jon Tester (MT) as Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
• Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN) as Chair of Steering and Outreach

History

The Caucus was formally organized on March 6, 1903, electing a chairman to preside over its members and a secretary to keep minutes. Until that time, the caucus was often disorganized, philosophically divided, and had neither firm written rules of governance nor a clear mission.

List of caucus chairmen

Dates	Senator	State	Notes
…	…	…
-1877	John W. Stevenson	Kentucky
1877–1881	William A. Wallace	Pennsylvania
1881–1885	George H. Pendleton	Ohio
1885–1890	James B. Beck	Kentucky
1890–1898	Arthur P. Gorman	Maryland
1898–1899	David Turpie	Indiana
1899–1903	James K. Jones	Arkansas
1903–1906	Arthur P. Gorman	Maryland
1906–1907	Joseph C. S. Blackburn	Kentucky
1907–1909	Charles A. Culberson	Texas
1909–1911	Hernando D. Money	Mississippi
1911–1913	Thomas S. Martin	Virginia
1913–1917	John Worth Kern	Indiana
1917–1919	Thomas S. Martin	Virginia
1920–1923	Oscar W. Underwood	Alabama	Also Democratic floor leader
1923–1937	Joseph T. Robinson	Arkansas	Also Democratic floor leader
1937–1949	Alben W. Barkley	Kentucky	Also Democratic floor leader
1949–1951	Scott W. Lucas	Illinois	Also Democratic floor leader
1951–1953	Ernest W. McFarland	Arizona	Also Democratic floor leader
1953–1961	Lyndon Johnson	Texas	Also Democratic floor leader
1961–1977	Mike Mansfield	Montana	Also Democratic floor leader
1977–1989	Robert Byrd	West Virginia	Also Democratic floor leader
1989–1995	George J. Mitchell	Maine	Also Democratic floor leader
1995–2005	Tom Daschle	South Dakota	Also Democratic floor leader
2005–present	Harry Reid	Nevada	Also Democratic floor leader

Vice Chairmanship

After the victory of Democrats in the midterm elections of 2006, an overwhelming majority of the caucus thought of awarding Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, a position in the hierarchy for defeating six incumbent Republicans. In response, Democratic Leader Harry Reid created the position of the Vice Chairman, making it the third-ranking Democratic position, after Leader and Whip.

• Chuck Schumer (2007–Present)

Bibliography

• Donald A. Ritchie (ed). Minutes of the Senate Democratic Conference: Fifty-eighth through Eighty-eighth Congress, 1903-1964. Washington, D.C., GPO, 1999. Available online in PDF or Text format.

External links

• Official Home of the Senate Democratic Caucus on the Internet
• Senate Party Leadership -- Much of this article's content was adapted from this useful public domain resource.
• First Formal Organization of the Senate Democratic Caucus