Floor leader

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Floor Leaders are important leaders in the United States Senate. They are elected by their respective party conferences to serve as the chief Senate spokesmen for their parties and to manage and schedule the legislative and executive business of the Senate. By custom, the Presiding Officer gives the floor leaders priority in obtaining recognition to speak on the floor of the Senate.

In the Senate's two-party system, the floor leaders are the spokesmen from both major parties, elected by their parties. They also serve essentially as executives of their parties within the Senate. The Floor Leaders are referred to as the Senate Majority Leader, who belongs to the party with the most Senators, and the Senate Minority Leader, who belongs to the other major party.

Similar positions exist in the United States House of Representatives, except that the majority leader title normally goes to the second leader of the majority party, because it traditionally elects its floor leader to the position of Speaker.

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