Senator Elissa Slotkin, Democrat of Michigan, went on SiriusXM's "Straight Shooter with Stephen A." on Thursday and said what half her caucus has been whispering since November 2024: the people running the Democratic Party don't understand what's happening.
"If people can't understand that the game has fundamentally changed, and they can't adapt, then they need to let others lead."
She wasn't speaking hypothetically. As the New York Post reported, Slotkin was talking about Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — the two highest-ranking Democrats in Congress. She told Stephen A. Smith the party has "literally found ourselves in a situation where we just don't have people who understand the moment."
The timing isn't accidental. This comes days after socialist Zohran Mamdani's political machine swept three Democratic congressional primaries in New York City, sending self-described democratic socialists to Congress while the party establishment watched helplessly. It comes after a string of Supreme Court losses. It comes after the 2024 election wipeout that Slotkin says the party still hasn't "fully recovered" from.
Slotkin's critique went beyond personnel. She said Democrats ran 2024 with "a million priorities" and no clear message. "When you prioritize everything, no one knows what you actually stand for," she told Smith. She called the internal battles "Dem-on-Dem violence" and a "circular firing squad."
She also offered a broader diagnosis: "Our political system is ill and both parties are just unwell." But the prescription was aimed squarely at her own side. "There is every single day a debate going on in the Democratic Party, and for me, this is why I'm a big believer in new leadership, significant change."
Schumer has led Senate Democrats since 2017. Jeffries has led House Democrats since 2023. Between them, they've presided over losing the White House, the Senate, and the House. The socialist wing of the party is openly mocking them on social media. And now a sitting senator from a swing state is saying on national radio that it might be time for them to go.
Neither Schumer nor Jeffries has responded publicly to Slotkin's comments.
The standard play in party politics is to close ranks after a loss, rally around leadership, and blame the other side. Slotkin skipped all three steps. She went on a national show, named the problem, and pointed up.
What's left of the Democratic leadership strategy is now a two-front war: hold off the socialists taking over from below while defending against your own senators calling for your removal from above. Schumer and Jeffries can probably survive one of those. Both at the same time is a different math problem.
The party that wanted to save democracy can't agree on who should run the meeting.
