Politico reports:

Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, who witnessed his rival Chuck Schumer move aggressively to secure the post of Democratic leader, may now have to fight to keep his own job.

Washington Sen. Patty Murray is refusing to rule out a run to be the chamber’s No. 2 Democrat, a position Durbin wants to keep in the next Congress. Yet several Democratic sources say she is getting encouragement from senators to take on a larger role in the leadership. And the Democratic leader-in-waiting, Schumer, is open to seeing Murray elevated to whip from her current role as the caucus secretary, the No. 4 job, several sources said.

But that’s not the only hardship Senate Democrats will see with this new leader. After Schumer told the White House that Congress should have an official say over any nuclear deal with Iran, Politico reports that all eyes are on Democrat leader-in-waiting to see what he does next:

During a tense phone call with White House chief of staff Denis McDonough in early March, Sen. Chuck Schumer delivered a blunt message: He would join a growing chorus of senators defying the wishes of President Barack Obama by demanding that Congress have an official say over any nuclear deal with Iran.

But in a nod to the president, Schumer later made clear that he would give administration officials more time to negotiate a nuclear pact before pushing forward with a congressional review bill.

There’s no telling where this shake in leadership will lead. But one thing is for sure: Senate Democrats will never be as unified as they were under Reid

4-2-15 Update – Could Durbin’s job be in jeopardy? The Hill reports:

Sen. Dick Durbin’s job as Democratic whip is in danger in the absence of a crucial endorsement from New York Sen. Charles Schumer, the incoming Democratic leader, say Senate aides.

Democratic aides say Schumer’s backing could make or break Durbin’s bid to hang onto his job as the Senate’s No. 2 Democratic leader.

“The real interesting story here is what does Schumer want. The caucus is going to want to give the person they elect leader the ability to put together a leadership team that works, his own team,” said a Senate Democratic aide.

4-2-15 Update – Senate Democrat Leader-in-waiting Chuck Schumer threw his weight behind legislation that gives Congress the power to reject Barack Obama’s deal with Iran.

Politico reports:

Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, one of Capitol Hill’s most influential voices in the Iran nuclear debate, is strongly endorsing passage of a law opposed by President Barack Obama that would give Congress an avenue to reject the White House-brokered framework unveiled last week.

The comments Monday by the Democratic leader-in-waiting illustrate the enormity of the task ahead for Obama and his team: While there’s no guarantee that Congress would ultimately reject an agreement with Iran, there’s an increasingly bipartisan consensus that Congress should at least have the ability to do so.

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