Lamar Alexander to resign from Senate leadership position
Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the third-ranking Republican in the Senate, announced on Tuesday that he is stepping down from his leadership position as the chair of the Senate Republican Conference as of January 2012 - though he said he still plans to run for a third Senate term in 2014.
Alexander announced his decision in remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday morning, noting that abandoning leadership positions would allow him to "spend more time working to achieve results on the issues I care the most about."
Alexander, 71, also alerted his colleagues as to the decision via email Tuesday morning, according to the New York Times.
"I will step down after four years as Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference," said the former Tennessee governor in his Tuesday remarks. "At that time, my colleagues will have elected me three times and I will have completed the equivalent of two two-year terms. Stepping down from leadership will liberate me to spend more time working to achieve results on the issues I care the most about."
"That means stopping runaway regulations and spending," he continued. "But it also means setting priorities... I want to do more to make the Senate a more effective institution so that it can deal better with serious issues."
Alexander's decision appears to clear the way for Sen. John Cornyn, R-Tex., to be elected Republican Whip in the wake of Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl's impending departure from Congress next year. Alexander and Cornyn had appeared to be headed toward a possibly divisive contest for the party's number two post in the Senate.
Sen. John Thune, currently the fourth-ranking Republican senator, told reporters Tuesday he will run for the conference chair position in January.
Alexander said Tuesday he hoped his resignation from the leadership position would help him be more "in the thick" of serious lawmaking decisions.
"I do intend to be more, not less, in the thick of resolving serious issues," he said. "And I plan to run for re-election in 2014."
