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.

Schumer will leapfrog Dick Durbin, the Senate minority whip, who announced his backing of the New Yorker Friday as well. Durbin will seek to remain the party’s whip, sources said Friday.


Durbin’s comments clear the way for Schumer to succeed Reid, who surprised the political world when he announced Friday he would not seek reelection next year. Reid promptly said he would endorse Schumer, the No. 3 Senate Democrat, which he relayed in a private call to Durbin Friday morning. Durbin, who is the No. 2 Democrat, did not object, sources said.

”I am honored and humbled to have the support of so many of my colleagues and look forward to our Senate Democratic Caucus continuing to fight for the middle class,” Schumer said in a statement on Friday afternoon .

Two sources also said that Durbin told Schumer he would not run against him in a leadership election. Durbin was making calls Friday afternoon to gauge whether he would have enough support to remain whip, a position Washington Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) may also seek.

A Reid aide said that the outgoing Democratic leader would back Durbin for the whip job.

“Durbin told Schumer late last night that he wasn’t running for leader, and that Schumer has his support,” a Durbin spokesman said. “Durbin intends to run again for whip and has Reid’s support. He’s been speaking with senators this morning.”

The scramble confirmed what’s been known in the Capitol for years: Schumer has emerged as the clear front-runner to succeed Reid, even though Durbin is the second-ranking Democrat. After two cycles running the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and after he’s taken the reins as the messaging guru, Schumer is viewed by many of his colleagues as being one of his party’s savviest political tacticians.

Yet, Schumer and Durbin — who were Capitol Hill roommates for years — rarely discussed the touchy matter. The issue won’t be finalized until after the November 2016 elections. Reid said he would remain as leader until his term expires in January 2017.

One by one over the past 24 hours, Reid began to inform his top lieutenants that he would retire. He first told Schumer Thursday, giving him a green light to begin the campaign to succeed him.

“I’ve never been a shrinking violet,” Reid told the Las Vegas radio station KNPR on Friday. “I think it’s very important that we have continuity in our leadership.”

“I feel very comfortable about this continuity of leadership with Schumer. He will be elected to replace me in 22 months.”

Murray has gained increased prominence and goodwill within the caucus, making her a potential threat to Durbin. But Reid’s endorsement of Durbin will make her ascension to the No. 2 spot harder.

Democratic insiders believe that there’s a possibility that Schumer and Murray would run for the top two spots, a move that could effectively force Durbin out of the running. The Democratic leaders, however, appeared keen to avoid a messy confrontation and could presumably cut a deal to avoid the first contested leadership in years.

The issue remains very sensitive within Democratic quarters — so much so that the three leaders did not discuss the matter with each other despite learning about the matter over the last day. Schumer was the first of the three to be told by Reid, a source said.

In addition to Reid, Schumer has locked up support from the liberal and moderate wings of the caucus. Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, announced Friday he would back Schumer after speaking with the senator. And Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a fellow New York Democrat and one of the more liberal members of the caucus, called Schumer after news of Reid’s retirement broke to offer support for Schumer as leader.

“Nobody fights harder for the middle class than Sen. Schumer. He has been a tremendous partner to work with and would be an outstanding majority leader. I would be honored to have the opportunity to support him,” she said.

The White House is keeping its distance from the leadership shuffle. Press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters that President Barack Obama “does not intend to endorse either man,” referring to Durbin and Schumer.

Liberal groups began pushing Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts to run for Democratic leader as soon as news of Reid’s retirement broke on Friday morning. But Warren, who was recently appointed to the Democrats’ leadership team as a policy adviser, won’t seek the post, her office said.

Warren’s office would not say if she will back Schumer. She is a leading critic in Congress of Wall Street, which is one of the top industries in Schumer’s home state.

Kyle Cheney contributed to this report.