Senate Republicans’ Leadership Structure
Several Senate Republicans are pressing candidates running to succeed Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as Floor Leader to help change how the Senate operates in exchange for their support. The effort, led by Mike Lee, R-Utah, aims to empower rank-and-file Republicans vis-à-vis their next Floor Leader and make the Senate Republican Conference more effective in achieving its goals.
Yet some Republicans oppose Lee’s effort to change how the Republican Conference and, by extension, the Senate, operates. In a recent letter, Thom Tillis, R-N.C., argued that Senate Republicans should strengthen their next Floor Leader instead of weakening the position. Specifically, Tillis suggested that his Republican colleagues follow the example of Senate Democrats and empower their Floor Leader vis-à-vis rank-and-file senators and the rest of their elected leadership team.
If Senate Republicans embrace Tillis' suggestion, it would represent a dramatic shift in the structure of their elected leadership team.
A Corporate Leadership Structure
Unlike Democrats, Senate Republicans have historically had a corporate leadership structure. Each of their elected leadership positions—floor Leader, Assistant Floor Leader, Conference Chairman, Policy Committee Chairman, Conference Vice Chairman, and Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman—has separate roles and offers Republican senators distinct services.
The Floor Leader is considered the top position in Republicans' elected leadership. However, the other leadership positions are not subordinate to it. Republican leaders are instead coordinate. They are of the same rank and, therefore, independent.
In the past, the division of labor inherent in Republicans’ corporate leadership structure encouraged innovation and accountability. Senators seeking specific positions had to think carefully about how they would perform the tasks associated with them to better serve rank-and-file Republicans. The leadership candidates would then make their case to their colleagues. The candidate who best addressed the concerns of rank-and-file Republicans won.
A Hierarchical Leadership Structure
Republicans started moving away from their corporate leadership structure in practice during the Floor Leader tenures of Howard Baker, R-Tenn., and Bob Dole, R-Kan. Under Baker and Dole, the Floor Leader assumed greater control – at least informally – over the Republican Conference and, by extension, the Senate. The transition from a corporate leadership structure accelerated during McConnell's tenure as Republican Floor Leader. Under McConnell, Republicans moved away from their traditional reliance on a corporate leadership structure and instead embraced the more hierarchical structure utilized by Senate Democrats.
In a hierarchical leadership structure, power is centralized in the party’s Floor Leader. The other positions in elected leadership are regulated to a subordinate status, effectively becoming the Floor Leader’s lieutenants. When combined with Republicans’ term limits on all leaders except the Floor Leader, the result has been an atrophying of the capabilities associated with all the leadership positions other than the Floor Leader. Instead of articulating an independent vision for their position and vigorously exercising their powers to achieve that vision on behalf of rank-and-file Republicans, these other leaders keep a low profile while waiting to move up the leadership ladder as vacancies occur above them.
As they bide their time, senators in these elected leadership positions have typically looked to McConnell for instructions and guidance on doing their jobs. In doing so, they effectively saddle McConnell with responsibilities beyond those traditionally assigned to the Floor Leader, for which the position lacks the necessary resources to perform well (e.g., staff and time resources). Consequently, the dynamic of the Republicans' leadership team – which centralizes power in the Floor Leader position - reduces its overall effectiveness.
The Takeaway
Republican senators should embrace their traditional corporate leadership structure if they are worried about their leadership team’s effectiveness via-a-vis Democrats. Republicans have an opportunity in next month’s leadership election to inform their leaders how they want the Senate to operate. They can also empower all their elected leaders – not just the Floor Leader – to perform their unique roles to the best of their abilities. While Republican leaders are independent of one another, they can work cooperatively with the rest of the elected leadership team to achieve the goals of the entire Conference. A rejuvenated leadership team will help Senate Republicans enact their agenda next year if they are in the majority or, if they are in the minority, stop Democrats from enacting theirs.