Could 2011 be the year Sen. Tim Johnson finally gets a committee chairmanship?

That would require the Democrats to retain control of the Senate, of course, which seems likely but still impossible to say for certain at this point. But an important obstacle just opened up for Johnson tonight: Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd announced he will not run for reelection.

Dodd, of course, is directly ahead of Johnson in seniority on the important Senate Banking Committee. When Dodd was considering taking another committee chairmanship earlier this year, Johnson's name was tossed around as a replacement for Dodd atop Banking. Senate Democrats, if I understand correctly, still largely follow seniority for determining committee assignments — but not always. Robert Byrd, for example, the ailing West Virginia Democrat who has more seniority than any U.S. Senator in history, does not chair a committee.

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By seniority, Johnson would seem to be Dodd's logical successor at Banking. If Johnson — who's been in the Senate for more than a decade — doesn't get a chairmanship, a lot of questions will be raised. It'll be interesting if any announcement is made prior to Dodd's departure from the Senate in January 2011 about seniority (presuming, again, that Republicans don't take back the Senate).

I hope to get more on this tomorrow.