Between the mid-1920s and mid-1940s, the two Senate parties strengthened the position of floor leadership, building on the foundations laid by Gorman in the 1890s and on the innovations of the 1910s. This era of consolidation—a period first of Republican dominance, then of extended Democratic dominance, interrupted by a short period of competitiveness—is the subject of Chapter 7. Charles Curtis (R, Kans.), who became Republican leader in 1923, elaborated leadership posts as he navigated factionalism within his party. The New Deal elections left the Republican conference depleted—down to 16 members in 1937—so they minimized their formal organization in the 1930s and waited until 1944 to reinvent it. Democrats in this era were led by Joe Robinson (D, Ark.) and Alben Barkley (D, Ky.), who centralized power in the floor leadership position and wielded it effectively, but otherwise made few organizational changes.