Brian Schatz's sprint to become No. 2 Senate Dem

• Schatz told the Washington Post on Monday there's an "emerging generation in Senate leadership" that he wants to help lead.

Schatz has an internal whip team that includes Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).

• Sources told Axios to expect more public endorsements in the coming weeks after Booker publicly endorsed Schatz on Friday.
• Schatz's potential competitors for the gig — namely Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) — have remained publicly quiet.
• "As a member of the Whip Team, I have seen Brian Schatz in action helping get the votes necessary to pass some of the most consequential legislation in generations," Rosen told Axios in a statement.

Between the lines: Klobuchar said the focus should be on stopping President Trump, not running for whip.

• She told reporters on Monday it's a "mistake" to talk "about something, a year and a half from now and we have no idea who's going to win the Senate."

Zoom in: Sources point to other factors that give Schatz a leg up in the whip race.

• He embraces the tedious, but critical, politics of the Senate floor.
• He has a track record on Durbin's whip team, serving as the Democrats' chief deputy whip this Congress.
• In 2023, he hired longtime Durbin adviser Reema Dodin to serve as his chief of staff.