Sanders says he will not back Schumer as Senate Democratic leader after midterm wins

Sanders breaks with Schumer

On Tuesday, 10 November, Senator Bernie Sanders told reporters on Capitol Hill that he would not vote to keep Chuck Schumer as the Democratic leader in the Senate. He spoke at a news conference after the party's first full caucus meeting since returning to Washington following the midterm elections. Sanders, 85, is an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, and he said he had known Schumer for more than 30 years. He tied his position to the election results, arguing that voters had asked for change.

“But in my view, the time is now for change, and I will not be supporting Chuck to be re-elected as the Democratic leader.”

Other senators join the challenge

Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan appeared alongside Sanders and called for a broad discussion about who should lead Senate Democrats. According to Politico, Slotkin said she would back no candidate until that person laid out a plan for Democrats' priorities in the first 100 days of the new Congress. Sanders said he and Slotkin had heard Schumer out, but that his ideas were not definitive enough. Neither senator has named a replacement, though both acknowledged Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland as one name under consideration. Politico reported that no other senator has formally entered a race against Schumer, and a spokesperson for Schumer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Van Hollen said at a post-election conference convened by the Groundwork Collaborative that he was calling colleagues to gauge their support for a leadership change. He stopped short of calling for Schumer's ouster, saying the election 'should not be coronation'. He added that the Senate Democratic caucus needed more internal debate.

“The Senate Democratic caucus needs a little bit of democracy itself in this moment.”

Pressure on Jeffries in the House

Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, faces a parallel challenge from liberal advocacy groups, which are organizing against him and Schumer with support from high-profile figures such as the actor Mark Ruffalo. Some congressional offices said they had received hundreds of phone calls from constituents demanding new Democratic leaders. A handful of incoming House lawmakers have refused to commit to voting for Jeffries as speaker. Many members have already said they support both Schumer and Jeffries.

“Voters just gave Democrats a huge mandate. It was a vote for change from Trump, but it was also a vote for change from the status quo.”

Schumer's case for another term

Schumer has said he is confident he will become majority leader after the Democrats' midterm gains, and his allies have offered support and called for party unity. The Guardian noted that Sanders joins a growing list of Democratic senators who say they will not support Schumer. Calls for new leadership have grown since 2024, when Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign over concerns about his age. Abdul El-Sayed, the senator-elect from Michigan, is among the high-profile incoming Democrats who have said they want new leadership.

In an Ezra Klein Show segment published on 10 November, the political strategist Adam Jentleson argued that Schumer deserves another term as leader because of his recruiting and fundraising, including investing $50 million in Michigan to help El-Sayed win. Jentleson said Schumer should be re-elected as leader but pledge not to seek re-election in 2028, a step he described as going out on top.