Who would be Democrat Pres. Pro Tempore

[raggage]

Hypothetically, if the democrats regain the senate this year or in 2006 and Byrd is either retired or otherwise ineligible, who would be the President Pro Tempore of the senate?

I know that both Edward Kennedy and Daniel Inoyue have been there since 1962, and both are (obviously) the senior senators from their respective states.

Would one take precedence over the other or would it come to a party vote?

[Keystone Phil]

Byrd would be PPT. His term isn't up until 2008. But let's say he wouldn't accept the title of PPT (for whatever reason) If it was between Kennedy and Inoyue for the position, it would probably go to a vote. Then again, that's just a guess. If someone else has more knowledge on this issue, please inform us.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

I don't know the answer to the underlying question, but Byrd's term is up in January 2007.  He was last reelected in 2000, when he won 78% of the vote.

[Keystone Phil]

I don't know the answer to the underlying question, but Byrd's term is up in January 2007.  He was last reelected in 2006, when he won 78% of the vote.

Actually Byrd's was last re-elected in 2002 (I'm sure that was just a typo when you said 2006) and that means his term end in Jan. 2009.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

OK, this might be the answer, I'm not sure:

When two senators are first elected from a single state in a given year (as happened, for instance, in CA in 1992, TN in 1994, and KS in 1996), the Senator who is elected to the partial term is given seniority for the purpose of determining Senior Senator/Junior Senator  (probably because they will have to stand for reelection first).  

Inoyue was elected to a full term in 1962, and will be running for his 8th term in 2004.
Kennedy was elected to a partial term in 1962, and will be running for his 9th term in 2006.
So if the same standard is used for PPT as for Senior Senator from a state, Kennedy would be PPT.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

I don't know the answer to the underlying question, but Byrd's term is up in January 2007.  He was last reelected in 2006, when he won 78% of the vote.

Actually Byrd's was last re-elected in 2002 (I'm sure that was just a typo when you said 2006) and that means his term end in Jan. 2009.

Sorry, I meant he was reelected in 2000....not 2006 or 2002.

[Keystone Phil]

I don't know the answer to the underlying question, but Byrd's term is up in January 2007.  He was last reelected in 2006, when he won 78% of the vote.

Actually Byrd's was last re-elected in 2002 (I'm sure that was just a typo when you said 2006) and that means his term end in Jan. 2009.

Sorry, I meant he was reelected in 2000....not 2006 or 2002.

But he was re-elected in '02

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

I don't know the answer to the underlying question, but Byrd's term is up in January 2007.  He was last reelected in 2006, when he won 78% of the vote.

Actually Byrd's was last re-elected in 2002 (I'm sure that was just a typo when you said 2006) and that means his term end in Jan. 2009.

Sorry, I meant he was reelected in 2000....not 2006 or 2002.

But he was re-elected in '02

No he wasn't...it really was 2000.  Where are people  getting 2002 from?

[Keystone Phil]

I don't know the answer to the underlying question, but Byrd's term is up in January 2007.  He was last reelected in 2006, when he won 78% of the vote.

Actually Byrd's was last re-elected in 2002 (I'm sure that was just a typo when you said 2006) and that means his term end in Jan. 2009.

Sorry, I meant he was reelected in 2000....not 2006 or 2002.

But he was re-elected in '02

No he wasn't...it really was 2000.  Where are people  getting 2002 from?

Oh I'm sorry. I was thinking of Rockefeller. Yes you're right. Byrd was re-elected in 2000 and his term ends Jan. '07.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

The reason why the part term Senators get preference is that they begin to serve as soon as their election is certified, not when January 3 rolled around.  Hence Kennedy is credited with habing served in the 87th Congress while Inouye began with 88th.  Had they both been elected in regular elections in 1962, then Inouye, by virtue of his prior service in the House would have senority.  Sen. Simpson of Wyoming and Sen,. McIntyre of New Hampshire officially started in the Senate on the same day as Kennedy.  Simpson had seniority over Kennedy because he had been a Governor, while Kennedy had seniority over McIntyre because Kennedy came from the larger state.   The facors for Senirity are in order:

1) Date service began as an elected Senator.  (For a Senator elected in a special election, this is the day after the election, regardless of how long ot takes for the election to be certified, but if he required a runoff, it would be the day after the runoff.)
2) Previous service as a Senator.
3) Previous service as a Vice President.
4) Previous service as a US Representative.
5) Previous service as a cabinet Secretary.
6) Previous service as a Governor.
7) Population of the State the Senator is from.

Presumably, if a former President were to be elected Senator, they would adjust the rules to fit him in some place, probably either just ahead or just behind a former US Representative.

For the 109th in terms of Seniority

Top 5 Dems:
Byrd
Kennedy
Inouye
Biden
Leahy

Top 5 GOP:
Stevens
Domenici
Lugar
Hatch
Cochran

(Unless I included a Senator not running for reelection whose term ends this year.)

[qwerty]

Ted Kennedy was appointed to his brother's seat in the Senate in 1961 when he resigned to become President.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Ted Kennedy was appointed to his brother's seat in the Senate in 1961 when he resigned to become President.

Actually, no.  Benjamin A. Smith II was the person appointed to fill the seat that became vacant on the resignation of JFK.  Teddy didn't become Senator until he was elected.

[jimrtex]

Hypothetically, if the democrats regain the senate this year or in 2006 and Byrd is either retired or otherwise ineligible, who would be the President Pro Tempore of the senate?

I know that both Edward Kennedy and Daniel Inoyue have been there since 1962, and both are (obviously) the senior senators from their respective states.

Would one take precedence over the other or would it come to a party vote?

Kennedy has served longer.  When JFK resigned, Benjamin Smith was appointed as his replacement.  Massachusetts is (was) apparently a state that holds its special election at the next general election date (November of even years), but then lets the elected Senator take office immediately.  So JFK served most of the 1st 2 years, Smith served the middle 2 years, and Teddy served the last 2 years 2 months of the 6 year term, beginning from November 1962, and then in 1964 was elected to his first full term.   Inouye was elected for a term beginning on January 3rd, 1963.  Thus, Inouye's election cycle is 2 years before Kennedy's.

Seniority (since 1958) in case of ties is based on: former service in order as senator, vice president, House member, cabinet secretary, governor, and then by state population.  Since 1980 there is a rule that one does not get a higher seniority due to an apppointment to finish out the previous term after one is elected.  Phil Gramm retired in December 2002, and Senator-elect John Cornyn was appointed to server the last few days of the previous term, before beginning his elected term on January 3, 2003.  Nonetheless his seniority is based on the date.

On the other hand Jim Talent and Lisa Murkowski do have seniority over the senators who started at the beginning of the 108th Congress.  Talent was filling the seat left vacant by Mel Carnahan's posthumous election.  Murkowski was appointed to fill her father's seat.

An all time seniourity list is available at

All time seniority list

Byrd is 1579.  Mark Pryor is 1875, meaning that he is the 296th senator to begin service after Byrd (almost 6 per state), and 197 have come and gone (almost 4 per state).

Of course, basing the pro tempore-ship on seniority is not required.

[minionofmidas]

The reason why the part term Senators get preference is that they begin to serve as soon as their election is certified, not when January 3 rolled around.  Hence Kennedy is credited with habing served in the 87th Congress while Inouye began with 88th.  Had they both been elected in regular elections in 1962, then Inouye, by virtue of his prior service in the House would have senority.  Sen. Simpson of Wyoming and Sen,. McIntyre of New Hampshire officially started in the Senate on the same day as Kennedy.  Simpson had seniority over Kennedy because he had been a Governor, while Kennedy had seniority over McIntyre because Kennedy came from the larger state.   The facors for Senirity are in order:

1) Date service began as an elected Senator.  (For a Senator elected in a special election, this is the day after the election, regardless of how long ot takes for the election to be certified, but if he required a runoff, it would be the day after the runoff.)
2) Previous service as a Senator.
3) Previous service as a Vice President.
4) Previous service as a US Representative.
5) Previous service as a cabinet Secretary.
6) Previous service as a Governor.
7) Population of the State the Senator is from.

Presumably, if a former President were to be elected Senator, they would adjust the rules to fit him in some place, probably either just ahead or just behind a former US Representative.

A former president was once elected Senator. Andrew Johnson.

[minionofmidas]

A former president was once elected Senator.

As was a sitting First Lady!

So?
Irrelevant.

[minionofmidas]

A former president was once elected Senator.

As was a sitting First Lady!

So?
Irrelevant.

Nice sense of humor you have there.

Huh?
Silly Hilarybashing at every opportunity and nonopportunity wasn't even funny when it was first invented.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

The reason why the part term Senators get preference is that they begin to serve as soon as their election is certified, not when January 3 rolled around.  Hence Kennedy is credited with habing served in the 87th Congress while Inouye began with 88th.  Had they both been elected in regular elections in 1962, then Inouye, by virtue of his prior service in the House would have senority.  Sen. Simpson of Wyoming and Sen,. McIntyre of New Hampshire officially started in the Senate on the same day as Kennedy.  Simpson had seniority over Kennedy because he had been a Governor, while Kennedy had seniority over McIntyre because Kennedy came from the larger state.   The facors for Senirity are in order:

1) Date service began as an elected Senator.  (For a Senator elected in a special election, this is the day after the election, regardless of how long ot takes for the election to be certified, but if he required a runoff, it would be the day after the runoff.)
2) Previous service as a Senator.
3) Previous service as a Vice President.
4) Previous service as a US Representative.
5) Previous service as a cabinet Secretary.
6) Previous service as a Governor.
7) Population of the State the Senator is from.

Presumably, if a former President were to be elected Senator, they would adjust the rules to fit him in some place, probably either just ahead or just behind a former US Representative.

A former president was once elected Senator. Andrew Johnson.

Johnson was also a Senator before he was President, so his seniority (under the post-1958 system) would have been established based on the date he was first served in  the Senate.

[minionofmidas]

The reason why the part term Senators get preference is that they begin to serve as soon as their election is certified, not when January 3 rolled around.  Hence Kennedy is credited with habing served in the 87th Congress while Inouye began with 88th.  Had they both been elected in regular elections in 1962, then Inouye, by virtue of his prior service in the House would have senority.  Sen. Simpson of Wyoming and Sen,. McIntyre of New Hampshire officially started in the Senate on the same day as Kennedy.  Simpson had seniority over Kennedy because he had been a Governor, while Kennedy had seniority over McIntyre because Kennedy came from the larger state.   The facors for Senirity are in order:

1) Date service began as an elected Senator.  (For a Senator elected in a special election, this is the day after the election, regardless of how long ot takes for the election to be certified, but if he required a runoff, it would be the day after the runoff.)
2) Previous service as a Senator.
3) Previous service as a Vice President.
4) Previous service as a US Representative.
5) Previous service as a cabinet Secretary.
6) Previous service as a Governor.
7) Population of the State the Senator is from.

Presumably, if a former President were to be elected Senator, they would adjust the rules to fit him in some place, probably either just ahead or just behind a former US Representative.

A former president was once elected Senator. Andrew Johnson.

Johnson was also a Senator before he was President, so his seniority (under the post-1958 system) would have been established based on the date he was first served in  the Senate.

Ah yes, that would explain it.

[cwelsch]

I don't see how that was Hillary-bashing; all he said was a sitting First Lady became a Senator.  Calm down.