Adam Hamilton, the incoming Democratic senator from Kansas, didn't mince — didn't bother with diplomacy. "I'm not supporting Schumer for leader," he said, calling instead for "new, younger leadership." He's not alone. At least eight incoming Senate freshmen have either openly opposed Chuck Schumer's bid for majority leader or demanded the party find someone else.
Democrats just won a sweeping midterm victory. They're expected to hold 54 to 56 Senate seats. And the man who led them there can't get his own freshman class to return his calls.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has led Senate Democrats since 2017 — nearly a decade at the top. He told the New York Times flatly that he expects to be "reelected as majority leader." When asked whether he anticipated a serious challenge, he had one word: "No."
The list of dissenters suggests otherwise. Troy Jackson of Maine, Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan, and Annie Andrews of South Carolina have all signaled opposition. Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota went further: "I think it is time for new leadership." Juliana Stratton of Illinois, James Talarico of Texas, and Chris Pappas of New Hampshire have all called for change. Even Elissa Slotkin, already seated and hardly a bomb-thrower, has joined the chorus.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut — a Schumer ally for years — offered the kind of support that isn't. "We need a conversation about leadership going forward, because we need new energy and ideas," Blumenthal said. He added that "no one has come forth willing to take the position. But we need a conversation about leadership."
That's not an endorsement. That's a eulogy waiting for a body.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., was the name floated most often as a potential challenger. He ruled out a formal bid — reportedly still focused on a 2028 run for higher office — but refused to endorse Schumer. "There should be no coronation of the next Democratic leader," Van Hollen said. "We need to understand what the Democrats are going to do with this new responsibility and these new powers. Nobody should get a blank check."
Schumer's read on the situation was characteristically Schumer. "The issue is not me," he said. "The issue is focusing on the American people." He also compared himself to an orchestra conductor: "What I do as the leader is I'm the orchestra leader. I am not the best bassoonist. I highlight that person."
Eight of his musicians just asked for a new conductor.
The leadership vote is a secret ballot scheduled for early December. Schumer needs only a majority of Senate Democrats to keep the job, and the institutional advantages still favor him — seniority, fundraising relationships, the sheer weight of incumbency. No one has formally declared against him.
But formal declarations aren't the problem. The problem is that a party fresh off its biggest Senate win in years has a leader whose own members are publicly wondering whether he should stick around. That kind of thing doesn't happen to leaders who inspire loyalty. It happens to leaders who survive on inertia.
Schumer managed to hold together a 50-50 caucus through two years of the Biden administration. He navigated Manchin and Sinema. He kept the lights on when the margins were razor-thin. And the reward for all of it is a freshman class that looks at him and sees yesterday.
The secret ballot is in December. Schumer says he has the votes. Eight freshmen say he doesn't have theirs.
