Reema Dodin: Chief of staff, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii)
When Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) hired Reema Dodin as his chief of staff two years ago, it was a clear sign of things to come.
That move is paying off, as Schatz prepares to become the No. 2 Senate Democrat in 2027, having all but locked down the leadership race with nearly a year-and-a-half to spare — and Dodin is viewed by Democrats across Capitol Hill as key to making that leadership push a reality.
“Had Schatz not hired her, he would not be the next whip,” said Jonathan Kott, a Democratic strategist and a friend of Dodin’s who served as a top aide to former Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.). “When you hire someone like her, you tell the world you're a serious player.”
Dodin returned to the Senate to lead Schatz’s office after a stint on former President Biden’s legislative affairs team, having previously spent a decade with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) as a top aide and his floor director.
Overall, she has spent the lion’s share of nearly 20 years working in the upper chamber. She even co-authored a book aimed at explaining “how Congress really works” — only furthering her status as one of the foremost experts on the upper chamber, especially among those currently on Capitol Hill.
"I don't think there's anyone in this town who understands the Senate better,” Schatz said in an interview. “Most people who are that knowledgeable lord it over you, but she combines that understanding of the legislative process with being very pleasant and kind, and I think that's a very unusual combination in this town.”
“Usually when people are that good at their jobs, they're jerks about it,” he added. “And she's the opposite.”
For now, Dodin is tasked with shepherding the senator’s team through the shift from a rank-and-file office and a low-level part of the leadership team to becoming whip — a massive undertaking.
“I have been lucky. I have only worked for a member of leadership; I've never worked sort of in the rank-and-file, and I think just experiencing that actually has been great,” Dodin said in an interview. “[Schatz] is young and energetic, and what you see is truly what you get. I think that piece is also building a machinery that is built to serve broadly, but also match that energy — it has been immense work [and] it has been wonderful.”
