Coons, Carper may chair committees if Dems win Senate

If Democrats win the Senate majority on Nov. 8, Delaware is likely to have two senators chairing committees simultaneously for the first time in nearly a century.

Sen. Tom Carper will be the senior Democrat on two committees – Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Environment and Public Works Committee – which positions him to chair either. And Sen. Chris Coons is in line to chair his first full committee – the Select Committee on Ethics.

“That helps us advocate for Delaware because it increases our role within the leadership of our caucus,” Coons said.

Delaware’s tendency to re-elect its senators has helped them acquire seniority and advance to leadership positions. Vice President Joe Biden chaired both the Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations committees during his 36 years representing Delaware, and the late Sen. Bill Roth, a Republican, chaired both the Senate Finance Committee and Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs.

Read more: http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2016/10/30/de-senators-could-both-chair-committees-if-dems-win-senate/92853916/