WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says he is running again to lead Senate Democrats, even as several of his own nominees refuse to commit to supporting him after the November midterms.
Schumer, who has led the Senate Democratic Caucus since 2017, said he believes Democrats have wind in our sails heading into what some Republicans fear could be a brutal midterm election. He said he is running for re-election for leader, period, win or lose.
Kansas Senate nominee Adam Hamilton reiterated this week that he will not support Schumer for leader in either a majority or a minority. Hamilton said Democrats need new ideas and fresh leadership and that he supports term limits and age limits.
Other swing-state Democrats who want to see Schumer go include Troy Jackson in Maine and Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota. Michigan nominee Abdul El-Sayed has named Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland as his preferred replacement. Van Hollen said he is 100% focused on winning the midterms.
Democrats need to pick up at least four seats to retake the Senate, an outcome that would shore up Schumer standing. Schumer said he has focused totally, like the North Star, on taking back the Senate and that the party is getting very close.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan earlier this year said Democrats need significant new leadership and that the old models are no longer working. Retiring Sen. Dick Durbin said Schumer has done an awful lot to help Democrats.
