Capitol Hill
Who runs the caucus
The elected leadership in both chambers, senior posts first. Deputy and whip-team jobs are listed separately below, since there are a lot of them and they sit off to the side of the ladder. Each entry says what the job involves.
House Democrats
26 posts-
1Democratic LeaderSets floor strategy, negotiates with the Speaker and the Senate, and controls the committee assignments that decide who holds power.
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2Democratic WhipCounts the votes before they happen and works the members who are drifting.
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3Assistant Democratic LeaderThird-ranking post. Takes the floor work, messaging and assignments the Leader hands off.
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4Caucus ChairRuns the caucus meetings where members fight things out in private, and decides what reaches that agenda.
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5
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6DPCC ChairBuilds the message of the week and pushes the talking points, polling and graphics out to more than 200 offices.
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7DCCC ChairRuns the campaign arm: recruits candidates, raises and spends the money, picks which seats get funded.
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8Steering and Policy Co-ChairRuns the assignment process with Jeffries and manages the trading over who lands on Ways and Means, Appropriations and Energy and Commerce.
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9
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10
Deputies and the whip team
16 moreDPCC Co-Chair
DPCC Co-Chair
DPCC Co-Chair
Battleground Leadership Representative
Leadership Representative
He also won the Oversight ranking member race in June 2025, and we could not confirm he still holds this post.
Freshman Class Representative
Chief Deputy Whip
Chief Deputy Whip
Chief Deputy Whip
Chief Deputy Whip
Chief Deputy Whip
Chief Deputy Whip
Chief Deputy Whip
Chief Deputy Whip
Chief Deputy Whip
Chief Deputy Whip
Senate Democrats
13 posts-
1Democratic LeaderSets the floor strategy, negotiates with Thune over what gets a vote and on what terms, and controls Democratic committee slots through Steering.
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2Democratic WhipCounts the votes and leans on members who are drifting, so leadership knows whether a nomination fight is winnable.
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3Steering and Policy ChairAmy KlobucharHands out Democratic committee assignments and runs the policy lunches. The number three job in the caucus.
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4Strategic Communications ChairRuns the message operation: what Democrats say in a given week, who says it, and where.
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5Conference Vice ChairElizabeth WarrenSits in leadership meetings and pushes the economic and consumer side of the agenda into whatever the caucus is doing.
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6Conference Vice ChairThe other vice chair, carrying national security and the business moderates into leadership discussions.
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7Outreach ChairConnects the caucus to labor, progressive groups and organizers outside Washington.
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8Outreach Vice ChairShares the outreach portfolio, weighted toward Latino and Western-state groups.
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9Conference SecretaryKeeps the formal record of caucus business and runs the mechanics of conference meetings and internal elections.
Deputies and the whip team
4 moreDeputy Conference Secretary
Deputy Conference Secretary
DSCC Chair
President pro tempore emerita
Two things worth knowing
The Senate has no Assistant Democratic Leader this Congress. The slot emptied when Patty Murray took the president pro tempore job in the 118th and has sat vacant since.
The DSCC and DCCC chairs are elected separately from the leadership slate. They answer to their committees, not to the Leader, which is why a campaign arm can spend against the caucus message when it wants to.