New York Democrat Chuck Schumer is confronting one of the most critical moments of his Senate leadership. For the second day in a row, he has faced intense criticism from Democrats who are furious with him for supporting a Republican bill designed to prevent a government shutdown, and the fallout is expected to extend well beyond Friday’s vote.
A handful of House Democrats, including representatives from battleground districts, are considering backing a primary challenge against him, while activists organize efforts to financially penalize him. According to interviews with six lawmakers or their aides, Schumer now faces questions within his own caucus over whether he made strategic missteps during this high-stakes moment and failed to outline a clear plan to navigate the complex politics of a shutdown. Some Democratic senators are even privately questioning whether he should continue serving as their leader, Politico reported.
“He’s done a great deal of damage to the party,” said Ezra Levin, co-founder of the liberal group Indivisible, which has scheduled an emergency call Saturday with its New York chapter and other local leaders to “seriously consider if the current [Democratic] leadership is equipped to handle the moment we’re in.” In a striking display of intraparty frustration with Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries offered no support to his fellow New Yorker. When reporters asked on Friday whether there should be new leadership in the Senate, his curt response was, “Next question.”
Schumer’s one-time partner, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), went so far as to urge senators to vote against his position, saying that “this false choice that some are buying instead of fighting is unacceptable.” And dozens of House Democrats sent a sharply worded letter to Schumer Friday, which expressed “strong opposition” to his standpoint, arguing that the “American people sent Democrats to Congress to fight against Republican dysfunction and chaos” and that the party should not be “capitulating to their obstruction.”
While several senators expressed their support for his leadership, some Senate Democrats refrained from answering questions directly regarding Schumer’s leadership role on Friday, Politico said. “We still have more to play out on this,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) told the outlet when asked if the backlash would impact Schumer’s role as leader. “So I’m not really thinking about the big-picture politics.”
