Senator Declares Run to Fill Outgoing Minority Leader’s Position - Reports

Charles Schumer reportedly declared he will run to fill the position Democratic Senate Minority Leader left open.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US Senator Charles Schumer declared he will run to fill the position Democratic Senate Minority Leader left open by outgoing Senator Harry Reid, the US news outlet Politico reported.

“Just hours after Minority Leader Harry Reid announced he would retire, Sen. Chuck Schumer declared Friday he would run to be Democratic leader and a source close to the New York Democrat said he has already locked up enough support within the caucus to secure the top job,” the Politico reported on Friday.

Earlier on Friday, the 75-year-old Reid announced his plans to retire in 22 months following a January 2015 accident in which he fell and broke a number of ribs as well as bones in his face.

Reid has been leading the Democrats in the US Senate since 2005. When the Democrats held the majority, Reid tried to amend procedural rules that made it possible for the Republican minority to block important Democratic initiatives.

The US Republican Party won 54 of the Senate’s 100 seats in the November 2014 mid-term election. Democrats took 44 seats, and 2 more seats were won by independent senators. Once the Democrats lost the majority, Reid continued his hard-line bargaining tactics with the Republicans.