In the hours since United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice withdrew her name from consideration for Secretary of State, consensus has grown around John Kerry. Should the senior Democrat leave the Senate and take a cabinet post, Pa. Senator Bob Casey could benefit directly.

That’s the latest DC rumor, at least.

“I’m 80 or 90 percent sure this will happen, and happen in the next two weeks,” said one DC insider. He said Casey is known as a team player who might be amenable to an arrangement that wouldn’t come to fruition until the Massachusetts Senator was actually nominated.

The Finance Committee is one of the most influential in the Senate. It’s the equivalent of the House Ways and Means committee and is responsible for writing tax law. That would include any major tax reform effort, something both sides of the aisle expect in the coming session.

“The way Bob’s track is, that’s a committee that would be a step up for him,” said one Senate watcher. “That’s the committee he wants.”

It would also be a significant boon to fundraising.

Casey spokesman Larry Smar said he wouldn’t comment on hypotheticals. He said as of now, Casey’s forthcoming committee assignments were the same as his current ones: the Joint Economic Committee; the Foreign Relations Committee; Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; and the Special Committee on Aging.

Politico reported in November that Casey was, “widely seen as having a lock on one of the seats.”

But on Wednesday, Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Michael Bennet of Colorado won the two existing opening on Finance.

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