Sanders Says Schumer Will Face a Leadership Challenger

Schumer has led Senate Democrats for close to a decade and has voiced confidence that the caucus will elect him majority leader after Democrats’ midterm victory over President Donald Trump’s Republicans. The senators are expected to choose their leader by secret ballot next month; Schumer needs a simple majority. The New York Times reported that his aides say he has secured enough commitments to win another term.

Several lawmakers, including newly elected Democrats, have not endorsed him. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat seen as a potential challenger, said Monday he was “in listening mode.” He has called for clear commitments to a “very bold kitchen table agenda,” arguing that working people need an economy less tilted toward billionaires and corporations. Van Hollen has also said, “It’s not a time for incrementalism.”

Michigan senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed said Van Hollen would “be an amazing Senate majority leader,” while noting the decision to run rests with Van Hollen. Juliana Stratton of Illinois, Adam Hamilton of Kansas, Troy Jackson of Maine, Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota and James Talarico of Texas have also called for new leadership.

Progressive advocacy groups and a machinists union with around 600,000 members are backing calls for change. Indivisible said Schumer’s approval rating was lower than Trump’s. RootsAction launched a campaign Tuesday urging Van Hollen to run, and said it had emailed supporters asking them to contact senators in his support. Its message criticized Schumer’s record on corporate influence, technology, economic policy and Israel.