Party leaders of the United States Senate

Majority Leader of the United States Senate Democratic Leader
Incumbent Harry Reid since January 3, 2007
Style	Senator
Inaugural holder	Oscar Underwood
Formation	April 27, 1920

Minority Leader of the United States Senate Republican Leader
Incumbent Mitch McConnell since January 3, 2007
Style	Senator
Inaugural holder	Charles Curtis
Formation	March 4, 1925

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The Senate Majority and Minority Leaders are two United States Senators who are elected by the party conferences that hold the majority and the minority respectively. These leaders serve as the chief Senate spokespeople for their parties and manage and schedule the legislative and executive business of the Senate. By rule, the Presiding Officer gives the Majority Leader priority in obtaining recognition to speak on the floor of the Senate.

The Majority Leader customarily serves as the chief representative of his or her party in Senate, and sometimes even in all of Congress if the House of Representatives and thus the office of Speaker of the House is controlled by the opposition party.

Many state senates are organized in the same way as the United States Senate.

Current floor leaders

The Senate is currently composed of 51 Democrats, 47 Republicans, and two independents, both of whom caucus with the Democrats.

The incumbent floor leaders are Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

History

The Democrats began the practice of electing floor leaders in 1920 while they were in the minority. In 1925 the majority (at the time) Republicans also adopted this language when Charles Curtis became the first (official) Majority Leader^{[citation needed]}, although his immediate predecessor Henry Cabot Lodge is considered the first (unofficial) Majority Leader.

The Constitution designates the Vice President of the United States as President of the Senate. The Constitution also calls for a President pro tempore to serve as the leader of the body when the President of the Senate (the Vice President) is absent. In practice, neither the Vice President nor the President pro tempore—customarily the most senior (longest-serving) Senator in the majority party—actually presides over the Senate on a daily basis; that task is given to junior Senators of the majority party, in part so they may learn proper procedure. For these reasons, it is the Majority Leader who in practice manages the Senate.^{[citation needed]}

List of party leaders

The Democratic Party first selected a leader in 1920. The Republican Party first formally designated a leader in 1925.

Congress	Dates	Democratic Leader	Majority	Republican Leader
66th	1920–1921	Oscar Underwood (AL)	R Maj →	Henry Cabot Lodge (MA) (unofficial)
67th	1921–1923
68th	1923 – November 9, 1924	Joseph Taylor Robinson (AR)
	1925			Charles Curtis (KS)
69th	1925–1927
70th	1927–1929
71st	1929–1931			James E. Watson (IN)
72nd	1931–1933
73rd	1933–1935		← D Maj	Charles L. McNary (OR)
74th	1935–1937
75th	1937 – July 14, 1937
	July 22, 1937–1939	Alben W. Barkley (KY)
76th	1939
	1940			Warren Austin (VT) (acting)
77th	1941–1943			Charles L. McNary (OR)
78th	1943–1945			Wallace H. White Jr. (ME) (acting)
79th	1945–1947			Wallace H. White Jr.
80th	1947–1949		R Maj →
81st	1949–1951	Scott W. Lucas (IL)	← D Maj	Kenneth S. Wherry (NE)
82nd	1951–1952	Ernest McFarland (AZ)
	1952–1953			Styles Bridges (NH)
83rd	January 3, 1953 – July 31, 1953	Lyndon B. Johnson (TX)	R Maj →	Robert A. Taft (OH)
	August 3, 1953 – January 3, 1955			William F. Knowland (CA)
84th	1955–1957		← D Maj
85th	1957–1959
86th	1959–1961			Everett M. Dirksen (IL)
87th	1961–1963	Mike Mansfield (MT)
88th	1963–1965
89th	1965–1967
90th	1967–1969
91st	1969 – September 7, 1969
	September 24, 1969–1971			Hugh Scott (PA)
92nd	1971–1973
93rd	1973–1975
94th	1975–1977
95th	1977–1979	Robert Byrd (WV)		Howard Baker (TN)
96th	1979–1981
97th	1981–1983		R Maj →
98th	1983–1985
99th	1985–1987			Bob Dole (KS)
100th	1987–1989		← D Maj
101st	1989–1991	George Mitchell (ME)
102nd	1991–1993
103rd	1993–1995
104th	January 3, 1995 – June 12, 1996	Tom Daschle (SD)	R Maj →
	June 12, 1996–1997			Trent Lott (MS)
105th	1997–1999
106th	1999–2001
107th	January 3 – 20, 2001		← D Maj
	January 20 – June 6, 2001		R Maj →
	June 6, 2001–2003[1]		← D Maj
108th	2003–2005		R Maj →	Bill Frist (TN)
109th	2005–2007	Harry Reid (NV)
110th	2007–2009		← D Maj	Mitch McConnell (KY)
111th	2009–2011
112th	2011–Present
Congress	Dates	Democratic Leader	Majority	Republican Leader

See also

• Assistant party leaders of the United States Senate
• Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives
• President pro tempore of the United States Senate

References

1. ^ Democrats remained in control after November 25, 2002, despite a Republican majority resulting from Jim Talent's special election victory in Missouri. There was no reorganization as Senate was no longer in session. Party Division in the Senate, 1789-present, via Senate.gov

External links

• Majority and Minority Leaders and Party Whips, via Senate.gov
• Senate Majority
• Republican Minority