minority leader

The head of the minority party in a legislative body.

Elected by the members of the minority party in each house of Congress, minority leaders represent the interests of their party on the Senate and House floors—but with fewer votes to count on than majority leaders do. Minority leaders work to keep their party united and to attract enough votes from the majority party to affect legislation. Like majority leaders, minority leaders receive a higher salary than regular members, a car and driver, and a separate leadership office in the Capitol.

Minority leaders work with majority leaders on scheduling, but they lack the majority leaders' control over calling up legislation. House rules generally favor the majority, but in the Senate, where much of the business is done by unanimous consent, the minority leader's cooperation is more crucial. That is because the minority leader, or any other minority member, can stop an action by objecting, thereby requiring time-consuming legislative procedures and voting. Senator Robert C. Byrd (Democrat-West Virginia) noted the need for cooperation between the leaders: “An element of compromise and forbearance [tolerance] is crucial if the Senate is to function properly—or if, indeed, it is to function at all.”

When the President's party holds the majority in Congress, the minority leaders become the chief voices of opposition to administration programs. They are featured prominently in the media and are often given television time to respond to the President's broadcast speeches. When the President's party is in the minority in Congress, the minority leaders serve as his spokesmen. Representative Robert Michel (Republican-Illinois) has described this as a “dual role” that requires a leader to look at issues from two perspectives, “your own district's and the President's.”

See also Majority leader; Michel, Robert H.

Sources

• Richard A. Baker and Roger H. Davidson, eds., First among Equals: Outstanding Senate Leaders of the Twentieth Century (Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, 1991).
• Robert C. Byrd, “Party Floor Leaders”, in The Senate, 1789–1989: Addresses on the History of the United States Senate, vol. 2 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1991)

The leader of the political party that holds a minority of seats in either house of Congress or of a state legislature. Selected by their own party caucuses, minority leaders act as chief spokespersons and strategists for their parties.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: leader of the minority party in a legislature

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