Reid is re-elected as whip

Benjamin Grove

Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2000 | 11:17 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats who likely will hold exactly half the seats next year in their chamber today re-elected Nevada's Harry Reid to be their No. 2 leader.

That means Reid maintains his post as Senate Democratic whip, who corrals Democrats on votes, helps the Democratic leader, Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., handle the agenda in Congress and keeps in close contact with Democratic senators to gauge their stances on issues.

Reid's position, along with his seat on the Appropriations Committee, gives him powerful influence among his peers. For instance, Reid has used the job to help battle legislation aimed at creating the nation's nuclear waste storage site in Nevada.

"As a member of the Senate leadership, I have a seat at the table when issues of importance to Nevada are discussed and debated, and I would not have sought this leadership role if I did not believe that it directly benefits those I represent in the Silver State," Reid said in a written statement released immediately after the Democratic Caucus vote.

Democrat and Republican senators, including newly elected members, huddled in their caucuses on Capitol Hill for the first time since Election Day. Among the new senators strolling the ornately tiled floors of the Capitol -- and attracting a phalanx of media -- was the senator-elect of New York, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Immediately at issue is how well the Democrats and Republicans will get along -- and how much they can get done. A lame-duck Congress is meeting this week to finish up this year's business.

When the new Congress, including newly elected members, convenes next month, both parties will hold 50 seats in the Senate, a tie not seen in 120 years.

"We know we face an enormous challenge as we build a power sharing relationship with our Republican colleagues," said Daschle, who was re-elected today by his Democratic colleagues as Senate Majority leader. "We are focused on the opportunities, not the problems."

Reid wore a wide smile after winning his post again, saying it was an honor and adding that it was "very nice" to have been re-elected unanimously.

Reid said the evenly divided Senate could come to relatively quick agreement on issues ranging from minimum wage to marriage penalty tax cuts and prescription drugs for seniors covered under Medicare.

"We are going to be forced to work together," said Reid, the former amateur boxer who is often called on to battle for Democrats during bitterly partisan floor debates.

Reid also has been an outspoken advocate for Vice President Al Gore, supporting his continued legal wrangling in the contested presidential election. He wouldn't say when or if he believed Gore should concede.

"He and his lawyers have to make that decision," Reid said following a press conference when Daschle introduced the new Democratic leadership team.

In an apparent move to reach across the aisle, Daschle said the Democrats had created a new position called chief deputy for strategic outreach. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., one of the party's most "articulate and frequent spokespersons," agreed to fill the position, Daschle said.

Republican senators re-elected their top two leaders: Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., and the assistant majority leader and whip, Sen. Don Nickles, R-Okla.