Harry Reid Endorses Schumer for Minority Leader
![](https://images.forwardcdn.com/image/970x/center/images/cropped/w-schumerreid-1428660589.png)
Image by Getty Images
![](https://images.forwardcdn.com/image/675x/center/images/cropped/w-schumerreid-1428660589.png)
Image by Getty Images
“I think Schumer should be able to succeed me,” Reid told the Post.
Schumer, the senior New York senator and the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate, is a leading pro-Israel lawmaker and is Jewish. Reid predicted that Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), the current minority whip, would stand down in favor of Schumer. Reid and Durbin spoke by phone Friday morning, the Post reported.
Reid, who suffered a serious accident while exercising earlier this year, told the New York Times that his decision to retire was unconnected to the accident, nor to his demotion to minority leader following the loss of the Senate majority by the Democrats in midterm elections.
A message from our editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren
![](https://forward.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Jodi-Headshot.jpg)
We're building on 127 years of independent journalism to help you develop deeper connections to what it means to be Jewish today.
With so much at stake for the Jewish people right now — war, rising antisemitism, a high-stakes U.S. presidential election — American Jews depend on the Forward's perspective, integrity and courage.
— Jodi Rudoren, Editor-in-Chief