The 1970s and 1980s proved to be transitional years. At first, it appeared that individualism had taken hold in the Senate, undermining the influence of both leaders and standing committees, but, as Chapter 9 shows, partisan conflict intensified during the 1980s and senators began demanding more effective party organizations and leadership. The Democratic leader, Robert Byrd, (D, W.Va.), was challenged for Democratic floor leader in 1986 and, two years later, gave up his post because he was not meeting his colleagues’ expectations as a team leader and party spokesman. By the mid-1990s, party leaders not only served as their parties’ chief strategists on floor procedure but increasingly guided the tandem tasks of writing important legislation and fashioning media strategies. Procedural maneuvering intensified on the Senate floor, which placed floor leaders in the middle of every legislative battle. By the 2020s, Senate policymaking was remarkably centralized in the two floor leaders, Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer. The Senate reached 2024 with stronger central party leaders and more elaborate organizations than ever before.