North Dakota Senate Democrats have picked their leadership team for the 2013 Legsilature.
Sen. Mac Schneider (D-Grand Forks) will be the new Minoity Leader. He replaces Ryan Taylor, who was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor, and leaves the state Senate. Schneider was unopposed for the floor leader job.
Schneider says Democrats may be in the minority – but they need to speak out on issues and ideas.
"We have a really talented caucus here," said Schneider. "We have some people who have been here for decades. It's our job to use that wealth of experience to advance good ideas, and offer to work with the majority on areas of concerns. When the majority falls short or over-reaches, we're going to make sure people know the difference."
Schenider says he expects to have a good working relationship with Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner (R-Dickinson).
"Senator Wardner is just a thoroughly honest person," said Schneider. "Obviously, we're not going to agree on everything, but I think we can keep a respectful working relationship while we aggressively go about advocating for our values. That's what this process is all about. And you can do it without having a personal animosity."
Sen. Joan Heckamann (D-New Rockford) will be the new assistant leader. And Sen. John Warner (D-Ryder) will be the caucus leader.
