By Henry Ashcroft
WASHINGTON — Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said Tuesday he is confident he will be elected Senate majority leader when Democrats take control of the chamber in January. Two of his colleagues said the same day that they will not back him without a change in direction.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats, said he will not support Mr. Schumer. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., stood beside him and said she is a “no” until someone offers a plan she can support. New York’s other senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, who leads the Democrats’ Senate campaign committee, made the case for keeping Mr. Schumer, Roll Call reported.
Senate Democrats are expected to choose their leaders next month, according to Roll Call and NBC News. Mr. Schumer needs a majority of the caucus to win another term. He has led Senate Democrats for nearly 10 years, CBS News reported, and no senator has formally announced a challenge.
Sanders and Slotkin call for change
Mr. Sanders said the midterm results were a call for something different. “I personally have known Chuck Schumer for over 30 years, and I like Chuck. Nobody works harder than Chuck Schumer,” he said at a news conference at the Capitol, according to Roll Call. “But in my view the time is now for change, and I will not be supporting Chuck to be reelected as the Democratic leader.”
He said the party should push for an “economy that works for all, not just the people on top.” Asked whether Mr. Schumer has been leading in that direction, Mr. Sanders said, “No.”
Ms. Slotkin did not endorse anyone. “Whoever wants my vote is going to have to show me a concrete plan that’s definitely different. I’m a ‘no’ until and unless I see that from anyone,” she said, according to Roll Call. She urged colleagues to withhold a quorum at the leadership election until they see such a plan. “I am not actively seeking this job. I am seeking change,” she said, according to NBC News.
Van Hollen is ‘listening’
Progressive groups have urged Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland to run. He has not said whether he will. “We should not have a coronation,” Mr. Van Hollen told reporters in the Capitol, according to NBC News. “We should not support anybody for leader without a very clear plan, and as you know, there are many people who think change is required.”
At an event in Washington on Tuesday, Mr. Van Hollen criticized Mr. Schumer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee over their choices in some primaries. “Schumer and the DSCC sided with the crypto industry and AIPAC against these candidates,” he said, according to Roll Call.
Schumer: ‘great unity’
Mr. Schumer said the caucus is together on its agenda. “I’m confident I will be elected majority leader, and our caucus is really united in focusing on bringing down costs, on ending the corruption, on ending the chaos, on ending the war,” he told reporters, according to Roll Call. “We have great unity in our caucus, and I’ll be proud to lead it.”
Asked about Mr. Van Hollen, he played down any rivalry. “We talk frequently, and we’re united — united in lowering costs, and united in ending this damn war,” Mr. Schumer said.
Gillibrand makes the case for her colleague
Ms. Gillibrand chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which ran the party’s Senate races this year. She credited Mr. Schumer with raising money and recruiting candidates such as Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Roy Cooper of North Carolina. Democrats have gained at least seven seats and could gain nine if races in Alaska and Mississippi go their way, Roll Call reported.
“That takes vision. It takes clarity of thought. It takes strategic leadership, and that is what Sen. Schumer has done,” Ms. Gillibrand said. “And that is why you will see, despite all grumblings, enormous gratitude.”
She pointed to Scott Colom, the Democrat narrowly leading Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi. “That wave doesn’t get created by magic. It gets created by hard work and putting the pieces together over years,” she said. Mr. Colom has not committed to Mr. Schumer. He told MS NOW that “too many of our leaders are from the same areas of the country,” Roll Call reported, noting that Mr. Schumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries both come from Brooklyn.
Other Democrats said they back Mr. Schumer. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona said “yes” when asked if he supports him. “This is a guy that worked incredibly hard over the last couple of years,” Mr. Kelly said. Asked whether he supports Mr. Schumer, Sen.-elect Sherrod Brown answered, “Yes,” according to NBC News. Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona said he and Mr. Schumer have had differences, but added, “It’s time for us to unify.”
Republicans keep their team
Senate Republicans, who will be in the minority, re-elected Sen. John Thune of South Dakota as their leader by acclamation on Tuesday, according to CBS News. A group led by Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin had pushed to delay the election after the midterm losses. Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming was re-elected whip.
Mr. Thune said Republicans want to “finish this legislative session strong,” moving nominees and funding the government. Government funding runs out Dec. 11, as the Chronicle has reported.
Why it matters in New York
If Mr. Schumer keeps his post, New York would hold the Senate’s most powerful job for two more years. The majority leader decides which bills reach the floor and when. Mr. Schumer has used that role on issues that reach Western New York; on Monday he voted to advance a bipartisan permitting bill while saying he would seek changes to protect New York’s water, as the Chronicle reported.
For now, the challenge is more talk than votes. No one has entered the race, and Mr. Schumer’s supporters include the senator who just ran the party’s winning Senate campaign. But a public “no” from Mr. Sanders and a conditional “no” from Ms. Slotkin show he has work to do before the caucus meets.
The Chronicle is seeking comment from Mr. Schumer’s and Ms. Gillibrand’s offices. Responses will be added when received.
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