The White House Friday said President Obama would not endorse a successor to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid after the Nevada lawmaker announced he would not seek re-election in 2016.
Soon after Reid unveiled his plans, he endorsed Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the third-highest ranking Democrat in the upper chamber, for the post.
Some saw the move as a snub against Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said it was up to Senate Democrats to select their next leader.
“The president does not intend to endorse either man,” Earnest said of Schumer and Durbin.
Despite a sometimes rocky relationship, Obama had glowing praise for Reid on Friday.
“Above all else, Harry has fought for the people of his beloved state of Nevada,” the president said. “The son of a miner and a maid from the tiny town of Searchlight, he never forgot where he came from, and he never stopped working to give everyone who works hard the same shot at success that he had.”
