Washington State Democrat Is 2nd in Line to Presidency for Now

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) was sworn in as Senate President Pro Tempore this week, making her second in line to the presidency as the new House speaker hasn’t been named yet.
Because there is no timeline for resolving the House speaker dispute and as GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) lost his bid for a seventh and eighth time on Thursday, Murray sits behind Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential line of succession until a House speaker is named. Normally, the speaker is the second in line after the vice president under the U.S. Constitution.
“It’s a responsibility I am deeply honored to take on for my country and for Washington state,” Murray, a Democrat who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992, said in a statement, adding: “I am truly honored to have earned the confidence of my colleagues to serve in the role, and the significance of this moment is certainly not lost on me.”…}