The seven most important relationships Biden will have on Capitol Hill

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The two were on opposite sides of the presidential ticket in 2012, however, as Romney reminded CNN on Tuesday, that didn’t stop Biden from speaking at Romney’s political summit in 2017.

“He was kind enough to come and speak at my conference in Utah, and we probably spent an hour together, with our wives, and had a really nice reunion. He looks like a very down to earth and lovely guy. “Romney said.

With 36 years in the US Senate, Biden will have more experience on Capitol Hill than any other US president. Still, only a quarter of those he served with are still in Congress, which means he’ll need to draw on a few key connections to get things done. In addition to maintaining working partnerships with leaders of both chambers, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Biden will have to rely on a handful of moderates and close political allies.

Here are the most important relationships to watch out for between Biden and The Hill as he begins his administration.

Chris coons

A key ally of Biden will be the man who now occupies his Senate seat, Democrat Chris Coons of Delaware. A friend for over 30 years, Coons remains an unofficial advisor in regular contact with Biden and his team.

According to a senior Democratic Capitol Hill aide, during the transition, Coons spoke to new White House adviser Steve Ricchetti and new White House chief of staff Ron Klain several times a week on a daily basis.

Seen as moderate in character and willing to work with Republicans, Coons will be a reliable barometer to fellow Senators on the position of the new president.

“He is trusted to be an emissary,” said the Democratic aide. “And I think people in the Senate know, if Chris Coons comes to you with an idea, it’s something the (Biden) White House will support.”

For Biden, Coons will be just as important in taking the temperature of any group of centrist senators who might hold the balance of power on presidential appointments, spending bills, or big bills.

Joe manchin

There was a time when Joe Manchin was the least welcomed Democrat by the Obama White House. The West Virginia senator has often found himself voting against the administration on issues such as climate, trade and guns. And in the second term, Manchin was in regular contact with only one official in the Obama administration: Biden.

“Manchin didn’t have a good relationship with anyone in the Obama administration except Joe Biden,” Democratic Hill aide said. “Biden was the only person (in the White House) Manchin would call, and the only person who would call Manchin.”

Biden eventually became a key adviser to Manchin on a gun control bill he co-wrote in 2013, drawing on his own experience in drafting gun legislation. fire. At one point, Manchin called on Biden to block the White House from publicly supporting the legislation – which would have killed any momentum to gain GOP support.

“Biden stopped the White House from approving it, from saying anything about it,” the Democratic aide said.

Although the bill ultimately failed in the Senate, this decision reflected a willingness to work together. Manchin has spent much of his time on Capitol Hill trying to bring together colleagues in various bipartisan “gangs” to sort out everything from immigration rights. Under Presidents Obama and Trump, these efforts have generally not gone far. But if there is a chief compromise in the White House, Manchin could be more successful in turning welfare talks into productive actions on infrastructure, pandemic relief, and spending authorization.

Manchin could also help Biden build a bridge to Trump voters. West Virginia is the second most pro-Trump state (behind Wyoming), giving Manchin a glimpse of a slice of Trump’s working-class white voter base who continue to move away from the National Democratic Party.

If Biden hopes to regain ground with those voters, he could do worse than keep calling Manchin.

Lisa Murkowski

There is also room for a centrist Republican contingent. The senses. Romney, Susan Collins of Maine, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Rob Portman of Ohio could all at times provide crucial votes to break away from their party. But Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski could be Biden’s most crucial partner on that front.

Murkowski is due for re-election in 2022, which means she will come under cross pressure from her right-wing in the Alaska GOP as well as centrist voters who have occupied her support base for two cycles.

On social issues and when it comes to judicial appointments, Murkowski has been the Republican senator most willing to break with Mitch McConnell and the GOP conference – an opportunity for the Biden administration.

But given the conservative challenges she faced in her state in her last two re-election efforts – a major successful challenge in 2010 that forced Murkowski to run as a general writing candidate, then a strong challenge from the party. libertarian in 2016 – – Murkowski will have to be careful in choosing his battles.

Additionally, his most high-profile fights with the Obama administration were over his defense of Alaska’s oil and gas industries against several environmental policy goals. In his last days in office, Obama blocked additional drilling leases off the Arctic coast in a move Murkowski called a “reckless, short-sighted, last-minute gift to the extreme environmental agenda.”

This may give Biden a glimpse of where that crucial GOP Senate vote may be most sensitive.

James clyburn

Perhaps no one is more responsible for Joe Biden’s presidency than Rep. James Clyburn. His endorsement ahead of the South Carolina primary earlier this year reignited Biden’s tough campaign by delivering black voters across the South.

It was the first step for Biden to secure the nomination, but it didn’t end there. Clyburn also praised his encouragement for his choice for Deputy Speaker Senator Kamala Harris.

The longest-serving black lawmaker in Congress and the third House Democrat, Clyburn is well positioned to continue to influence Biden on staff and politics. Days after Biden was elected, Clyburn told CNN he spoke frequently with the transition team.

The seasoned legislator also offers constructive criticism from the outside. In an interview with Juan Williams of The Hill last week, Clyburn praised Biden’s selection of Linda Thomas-Greenfield for the United Nations Ambassador, but said there should be more diversity in Cabinet choices. of the elected president.

“From everything I hear black people have been given due consideration,” Clyburn told Williams. “I want to see where the process takes, what it produces. … But so far it’s not good.”

Nancy Pelosi

The Speaker of the House will have a much narrower Democratic majority next January, giving progressives in Nancy Pelosi’s caucus a relatively stronger voice. Some of those left-wing voices, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are already directing their rhetoric on figures like Manchin, presaging a potential civil war between Democrats.

Pelosi’s task is once again to keep her House caucus online, but she will be helped by having a fellow Democrat in the White House again. By maintaining a positive working relationship with Pelosi, Biden may be able to redirect some of the internal energy to legislative productivity.

He and Pelosi have a long history of working together on great legislation, first during their years in Congress, then during the Obama administration passing the Stimulus and Affordable Care Act. Pelosi also worked with Biden to help garner Democratic House support for the Iran nuclear deal.

An aide to Pelosi told CNN that she and Biden were “cut from the same cloth.”

Mitch mcconnell

In the closing days of the Obama administration, when Biden last presided over the Senate floor, members gave a mailing to the outgoing vice president. Mitch McConnell, the Republican Majority Leader in the Senate who served alongside Biden for 24 years, spoke first in a tribute to the man himself and their positive working relationship.

McConnell said he trusted Biden “implicitly” and praised the vice president as a negotiating partner.

“There’s a reason ‘Get Joe on the Phone’ is a shorthand for ‘It’s time to get serious’ in my office,” McConnell said.

While relations between McConnell and Obama were cold, Biden’s intervention helped the White House and Republicans in Congress reach a series of critical spending and tax deals, including preventing the so-called fiscal cliff that could have jeopardized the economy after the 2012 elections.

There is also a risk that the majority leader’s silence on Trump’s baseless allegations of electoral fraud could chill relations with the new president. McConnell has only been willing to say that the election “process” will unfold and has yet to recognize Biden as president-elect.

But after Biden’s inauguration, the Kentucky Republican might be ready to get serious again. McConnell’s ruthless pragmatism suggests an opportunity for Biden to find areas to work with him. Some preparatory work is already underway for the confirmation of a number of the nominees proposed by Biden for Cabinet, with Republican senators congratulating some members of the announced national security team.

Ultimately, McConnell’s interest will ultimately be to protect and grow his majority. This will limit Biden to everything from judicial appointments to big legislative packages. Much of what the next two years will look like will depend on McConnell’s willingness to “put Joe on the phone” and strike a deal.

CNN’s Ted Barrett contributed to this story.

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