Patty Murray poised to be third in line for succession to presidency with nomination
Sen. Patty Murray is poised to become the third in line for succession to the presidency.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the decision to nominate Murray to Senate president pro tem at a Democratic lunch Wednesday. Murray will be the first woman to hold the position.
The appointment needs the okay of the Senate Democrats, who will meet Dec. 8 to formally make the decision. Murray is expected to easily win the position.
The job will put her in line after Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to succeed President Joe Biden. In January, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy is likely to become speaker.
The pro tem job has traditionally gone to the senior member of the majority party. That is Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. But Feinstein, 89, has had some memory problems and said she was not interested. Murray, who has been a senator since 1993, is next in line in seniority.
Murray, 72, was re-elected last week to her sixth term in the Senate. Known for her strong advocacy of child care and family issues, she is also expected to chair the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, which makes crucial federal spending decisions.
In a statement, Murray said she was “honored to have earned the confidence of Leader Schumer and my colleagues” to serve in the job.
“It’s not lost on me the significance of what it would mean to be the first woman to serve in this role,” she said.
The position is largely ceremonial. The president pro tem often opens the Senate session, but the job carries no real leadership clout.
This story was originally published November 16, 2022 at 3:44 PM with the headline "Patty Murray poised to be third in line for succession to presidency with nomination."
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