# New Senate Minority Leader? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 3, 2004, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-senate-minority-leader/272703 "2004-11-03T08:20:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cmason32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@cmason32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmason32)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-senate-minority-leader/272703/1 "2004-11-03T08:20:05Z")
Anyone have any predictions on who the new senate minority leader will be? I don’t recall at the moment who the most senior democratic senator is, but I would assume that person doesn’t automatically become the leader. Perhaps Biden? Bayh? What about someone with less experience like Durbin? What are your thoughts on who it will be - or who it should be? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-senate-minority-leader/272703/2 "2004-11-03T12:38:26Z")
85% chance that it is Harry Reid. 15% chance of Chris Dodd. Reid’s a great leader, but Dems should have learned something last night about choosing leaders from swing states. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-senate-minority-leader/272703/3 "2004-11-03T14:28:45Z")
Most insiders agree with Ravenman- if there were a secret ballot, Harry Reid would win. It will only get interesting IF some ambitious Senator decides to challenge Reid. Ordinarily, a first term Senator wouldn’t dare challenge a veteran like Reid and wouldn’t stand a chance if he/she did… but a lot of eyes will be on Hillary! ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-senate-minority-leader/272703/4 "2004-11-03T14:42:22Z")
It’ll be Reid or Dodd, thought I give Dodd the slight edge, seeing as how Connecticut is more Democratic than Nevada, and considering that he almost won the job the last time it was open.