USAupdated 18m ago2 min read
MapDemocratic Senators-Elect Push To Replace Chuck Schumer As Senate Majority Leader
“Slotkin said she would not rule out running herself.”
“having secured commitments of support from enough Democratic senators to be elected majority leader in a private vote”
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Several incoming Democrats say they won't support Schumer for Majority Leader. Calls for generational change and new leadership among Senate Democrats.
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Schumer faces internal challenge
Democratic leadership in the United States Congress is in flux after Democrats won the majority in both chambers in Tuesday’s U.S. midterm elections, with attention turning to who will lead the Senate and the House.
As of Friday, Democrats had secured 54 Senate seats, including two independents, vs. 44 for Republicans, with two contests still to be decided, while Democrats won 253 House seats to Republicans’ 161 with 21 contests still pending.
Several newly elected Democratic senators from Maine, Kansas, Michigan, and Illinois said they will not back New York Senator Chuck Schumer as leader of the majority, and the CBS News report highlighted petitions with more than 100,000 signatures calling for Democrats to choose new leadership.
Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan declined to back Schumer at a post-election gathering Saturday in Washington, DC, and Slotkin said she would not rule out running herself.
Democrats weigh “generational change”
Van Hollen told CNN that he needed “a discussion in the Democratic caucus,” and he said he had urged colleagues to “withhold commitments” until Schumer outlines his vision. Slotkin pressed for a concrete plan, telling the conference, “If he wants to be majority leader, what is your plan for the first 100 days?” and she added, “If you can’t produce that, I’m not voting for you.”
Annie Andrews, the Democratic senator-elect from South Carolina, said, “I still very much believe it’s time for generational change on both sides of the aisle.” Schumer told reporters, “I’ll be re-elected as majority leader,” and he was described as running uncontested as of Friday afternoon.
Petitions, money, and next steps
Democracy Now! reported that senators-elect including Peggy Flanagan, Troy Jackson, Abdul El-Sayed, Juliana Stratton, and Adam Hamilton stated they will not support Schumer, and it quoted Abdul El-Sayed saying, “I want new leadership that focuses on ending the influence of money in politics.”
Democracy Now! also included a question from CNN journalist Manu Raju to Schumer, and it quoted Schumer responding, “I am not the problem. I will be reelected as the Senate Majority Leader.”
The Guardian’s account of the leadership fight tied the stakes to Democrats’ ability to push back on Donald Trump’s administration and pass legislation they promised to voters after securing a comfortable majority in both the House and Senate.
The Al-Monitor framed the leadership dispute as part of a broader progressive push, and it reported that calls to remove Schumer and Jeffries escalated amid criticisms for receiving money from the Israeli lobby, including AIPAC.