Maryland Democratic Representative Glenn Ivey on Tuesday became the first member of his party to call on Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to resign from his leadership role. Ivey’s remarks come amid widespread discontent among the party’s base and congressional Democrats following Schumer’s vote to advance the GOP spending bill to avert a government shutdown last Friday.
With many calling for tougher resistance against the Republican-controlled Senate, Ivey is the first Democratic lawmaker to openly demand Schumer’s ouster from leadership. “I respect Chuck Schumer. I think he had a great, long-standing career,” Ivey told his constituents during a town hall meeting in his deep-blue Maryland district that is in close proximity to Washington, D.C. “But I’m afraid that it may be time for the Senate Democrats to get a new leader.”
“I know shutting down the government is not good. I’ve tried to oppose it every time I could, but in this particular instance, it was something that we needed to do,” he added. The audience reportedly erupted in applause after Ivey urged Schumer to resign as Senate Democratic leader.
Congressional Democrats’ frustration with Schumer persists throughout the recess week, as left-leaning voters in their districts demand tougher stances against Republican lawmakers and President Donald Trump. The corporate media have also begun criticizing Schumer; on Tuesday, CBS News’ Gayle King told the New York Democrat that voters no longer have “faith” in the Democratic Party.
A CNN poll conducted by SSRS released on Sunday revealed that the party’s approval rating has fallen to 29%, a record low among Americans. CNN data analyst Harry Enten noted on Monday that fresh polling data shows that the party’s current approval rating is at an all-time low. “Democrats, call your office. Terrible, terrible, terrible, to quote the great Charles Barkley. ‘View Democratic Party,’ favorably: CNN/SSRS, 29%. NBC News, you wanna go lower than that? How about 27%? Both are record lows,” he said to begin the segment.
“The lowest going back to 1992 in CNN polling. The lowest going back on record to 1990 in NBC News polling,” he continued. “The majority of Americans hold an unfavorable or negative view of the Democratic Party at this point. All I can say is I’m a big fan of the oldies, so ‘How low can you go?’ What about congressional Democrats specifically? You think these numbers are low? How about this one. Holy Toledo. Voters’ views of the Democrats in Congress among all voters — disapprove, 68%. And look at the approved number, just 21%, even lower than the Democratic Party at large. This is the lowest on record for Democrats according to Quinnipiac University polling.”