WASHINGTON — Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., on Tuesday became the first female Senate president pro tempore, the second-highest-ranking position in the chamber.
The president pro tempore ranks second under the president of the Senate — the vice president — and presides over the floor in the vice president’s absence.
Since the mid-20th century, the president pro tempore has been the senior member of the majority party out of tradition.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., 89, is the senior most Democrat in the upper chamber, serving since 1992, but she declined the role of president pro tempore following the November midterm elections. Murray, 72, is the next most senior Democrat, having served in the Senate since 1993.
Murray had previously served as assistant Democratic leader in the Senate since 2017.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., celebrated the glass-shattering moment for Murray Tuesday.
“Making history today: Senator Patty Murray is now the Senate President Pro Tempore, the first woman in the history of the U.S. Senate to hold this title!” Schumer tweeted.
Murray succeeds Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., 82, as president pro tempore, who retired from Congress at the end of the year after serving in the Senate since 1975.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
