Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) is moving quickly to lock up support in his bid for Senate Democratic whip even as it remains unclear whether anyone will challenge him for the job.
The stakes of this particular race are even higher because whoever is elected the Democratic whip after the 2026 election immediately has a leg up in the eventual contest to succeed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as the chamber’s top Democrat.
Regardless of whether this ends up being an actual race or a coronation, we wanted to bring back a signature Punchbowl News feature: The staffers – both on and off the Hill – who matter most in Schatz’s orbit.
Top aides: Schatz, who was appointed to the Senate in 2012, has been laying the groundwork for a leadership run for years. Schatz made his bid official within a few days of Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin’s announcement last month that he wouldn’t seek reelection.
Schatz’s staff consistently ranks among the most racially diverse in the Senate. His office is also stacked with senior aides who’ve worked in the Senate since long before Schatz arrived.
In 2023, Schatz hired Reema Dodin, his chief of staff and a key player for the Hawaii Democrat.
Dodin was Durbin’s floor director for eight years and eventually became the Illinois Democrat’s deputy chief of staff. She worked for Durbin for a total of 15 years and wrote a book on Senate procedure in 2017. Dodin left the Senate in 2021 to serve as President Joe Biden’s deputy legislative affairs director, returning to the Hill two years later as Schatz’s chief.
Rounding out Schatz’s top aides are Malia Oshima Paul, deputy chief of staff; Mike Inacay, deputy chief and communications director; Arun Revana, legislative director; and Roberto Berrios, deputy legislative director and senior counsel. All have lengthy ties to Schatz.
Paul is based in Hawaii and is Schatz’s longest-serving Senate staffer. Inacay has been with Schatz for more than a decade. Revana is Schatz’s longtime top policy aide, having served in a similar role for the late Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii). Berrios previously oversaw Senate confirmations for the Biden White House.
Off the Hill: There’s been little reporting over the years about Schatz’s political operation, in part because he doesn’t have competitive reelection fights back home.
Schatz also often takes fundraising into his own hands, with the 52-year-old frequently using social media to raise gobs of cash for Democratic candidates and incumbents. Since the 2022 cycle, Schatz has raised more than $5 million just on X.
Lori LaFave is Schatz’s chief fundraising consultant. LaFave’s other clients include Durbin and Senate Majority PAC, the Democratic leadership-aligned super PAC. Both of these provide critical donor networks.
Schatz’s campaign account has nearly $1.8 million cash on hand, although he isn’t up for reelection until 2028.
Schatz’s campaign committee gave $450,000 to the DSCC late last cycle. His leadership PAC, Hawaii PAC, gave another $80,000, according to FEC records, while also spreading around tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations to Democratic candidates nationwide.
