U.S. Senate Democratic Minority Leader Harry Reid said on Friday he will retire next year and threw his weight behind New York Sen. Chuck Schumer to replace him as leader after he leaves office.
Reid will stay in his post for another 22 months, but his announcement positions Schumer, a New Yorker and Wall Street ally, as his heir apparent.
Schumer's nearest potential rival, Sen. Dick Durbin, will not fight Schumer for the Democrats' top Senate post, said Durbin's spokesman. He added that Durbin, of Illinois, intends to seek re-election to the No. 2 job of Senate Democratic whip.