Senate Democratic Caucus

The Democratic Caucus of the United States Senate, sometimes referred to as the Democratic Conference, is the formal organization of all senators who are part of the Democratic Party in the United States Senate. For the makeup of the 118th Congress, the caucus additionally includes three independent senators (Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Angus King of Maine, and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona) who caucus with the Democrats, bringing the current total to 51 members. The central organizational front for Democrats in the Senate, its primary function is communicating the party's message to all of its members under a single banner. The present chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus is Chuck Schumer of New York. Current leadership Effective with the start of the 118th Congress, the conference leadership is as follows: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (New York) (Caucus Leader) Senate Majority Whip: Dick Durbin (Illinois) President pro tempore: Patty Murray (Washington) Caucus Vice Chairs: Mark Warner (Virginia) and Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts) Policy Committee Chair: Debbie Stabenow (Michigan) Steering Committee Chair: Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota) Outreach Committee Chair: Bernie Sanders (Vermont) Outreach Committee Vice Chair: Catherine Cortez Masto (Nevada) Policy Committee Vice Chair: Joe Manchin (West Virginia) and Cory Booker (New Jersey) Caucus Secretary: Tammy Baldwin (Wisconsin) Caucus Deputy Secretary: Brian Schatz (Hawaii) Campaign Committee Chair: Gary Peters (Michigan) Chief Deputy Whip: Jeff Merkley (Oregon) History The conference was formally organized on March 6, 1903, electing a chair to preside over its members and a secretary to keep minutes. Until that time, this caucus was often disorganized, philosophically divided and had neither firm written rules of governance nor a clear mission. Chairs of the Senate Democratic Caucus Since Oscar Underwood's election in 1920, the chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus has also concurrently served as the floor leader as part of an unwritten tradition.