Congressional Leaders
• Congressional
leadership is
organized strictly by
political party.
So where do we start?
• Majority Party
– Political party that holds the most seats in
each house.
• As of 2010, this is the Republicans.
• Minority Party
– Political party that holds fewer seats in each
house.
• As of 2010, this is the Democrats
Why is it important to be in the
majority?
• Presiding officers and committee chairs
always come from the majority party!
• It makes it easier to pass laws!
House of Representative
Leadership
• The House operates
under stronger leadership
than the Senate
– Why?
• It has 4 times as many
members!
– Must be strict to keep
them in line!
– Who is the most powerful?
• Speaker of the House
Who and what is the Speaker of
the House?
• Who?
– John Boehner
• Republican
• Congressman from Ohio’s
8th district
• What does he do?
– Governs the debate in the
House of Reps.
– Is the public face of the
House of Reps.
– Is 3rd in line if POTUS dies!
Who is below the Speaker of the
House?
• Each political party has their own floor
leader
– Majority party floor leader
• aka “Majority Leader”
– Serves as an assistant to the Speaker of the House.
– Minority Party floor leader
• aka “Minority Leader”
– Serves as chief voice of minority party
Who is the Majority Leader today?
• Eric Cantor
– Republican from 7th
district in Virginia
– Been in Congress
since 2001.
Who is the minority leader?
• Nancy Pelosi
– Democrat
– California’s 8th
Congressional District
– Been in Congress
since 1989
Who works for the majority and
minority leaders?
• The Whips!!
– Work feverishly to keep their political parties in line!
• They demand their members to vote according to the political
parties beliefs!
• Majority whip
– Works for the majority party
• Minority whip
– Works for the minority party
Who are the Whips?
• Majority Whip
– Kevin McCarthy
• Republican from
California
• Minority Whip
– Steny Hoyer
• Democrat from Maryland
Senate Leadership
• The Presiding Officer
of the United States
Senate
– Vice President of the
United States
• Used as deciding vote in
all ties!
• Joe Biden
– Democrat from
Delaware
Who is next most powerful person
in Senate?
• President pro tempore
– Person who is head of Senate when VP is
busy doing VP stuff….
– 4th in line if POTUS dies!
– Who gets to be President pro tempore?
• The longest serving member of the Majority Party.
Who is President pro tempore?
• Daniel Inouye
– Democrat from Hawaii
– Been in Congress
since 1963!
• FYI:
– That’s when JFK was
POTUS!!
So who is below the President pro
tempore?
• Same as House of Representatives
– Majority and Minority Floor Leaders
– Majority and Minority Whips
Easy Way to Think of It
House of Reps
1. Speaker of the House
Senate
1. Vice President
2. President Pro Tempore
2. Floor Leaders
3. Floor Leaders
1. Majority
2. Minority
1. Majority
2. Minority
3. Whips
1. Majority
2. Minority
4. Whips
1. Majority
2. Minority