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With the Senate vote to re-open the federal government behind us, the blame game among Democrats is in full force.
And, at least in the early going, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer appears to be the preferred scapegoat of the liberal left.
The thinking goes something like this: Even though Schumer voted against re-opening the government, he had to have given his blessing — tacit or otherwise — to the eight renegade Democrats who sided with 52 Republican Senators to end the 41-day shutdown.
And, if Schumer didn’t bless that effort that’s an even worse sign — showing he has lost control of the caucus.
Calls for Schumer to step down from his leadership job are rampant although, I would note, not from within the Senate Democratic caucus just yet. “Yet” being the operative word.
There is no immediate threat to Schumer’s leadership, according to multiple Democratic sources. Not one of the Democrats calling for Schumer to step down as leader is a current member of his caucus. Still, frustrations are mounting privately among Senate Democrats that Schumer and his leadership team lacked a long-term plan to secure real concessions from the GOP in the funding fight— and that the party ultimately ended up without a tangible legislative win, according to a half-dozen Senate Democratic sources. And there is growing chatter about what it means for his future after the 2026 midterms and if he chooses to run again in 2028.
And, if I were Schumer I would be more than a little concerned about the evasiveness of the answers offered by moderate swing state Sen. Mark Kelly in an interview Monday with MSNBC.
The old adage in politics still holds however: You can’t beat something with nothing. And no one has announced a challenge to Schumer. Plus, I think he is helped somewhat by the fact that Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the second ranking Democrat in the Senate, is retiring at the end of 2026 — creating an appealing opening for ambitious Democrats.
Since my goal here is to always help you look around the next political corner, I thought I would handicap the five names I think are most likely to emerge as potential factors in the coming leadership fight(s).
Here we go!
Washington Sen. Patty Murray: If Schumer is ousted before the midterms — which I continue to think is unlikely — I think Murray would be the obvious caretaker choice. At 75, she isn’t the long-term solution for Democrats calling for a fresh-faced leadership. But she would be a plug-and-play option for a party trying to win back the majority.
Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz: Schatz hasn’t been shy about his interest in replacing Durbin. Maybe he decides to go for the top job instead? At 53, he is a generation younger than Schumer and Murray. And he is more widely liked by liberals outside the Senate, which could help.
Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto: CCM spent the 2020 cycle as the head of the Democratic Senate campaign arm — a thankless job that you only usually do if you want to show your colleagues you are willing to put in the hard work necessary for a life in leadership. On the plus side for CCM, she is a Latina, a woman and represents a swing state. On the negative side, she’s up for what could be a very tough reelection bid in 2028 and she was one of the eight Democrats who sided with Republicans to re-open the government.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar: Klobuchar is at a bit of a career crossroads. She’s the third ranking Democrat in the Senate right now — she heads the steering and policy efforts — so it would make sense for her to try to move up. On the other hand, she obviously has national ambitions, having run for president in 2020 and already rumored as a 2028 candidate. She likely will have to pick a path and stick to it.
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen: Van Hollen is my dark horse pick. He’s not all that well known nationally but is a rare combination of policy acumen and political know-how. Plus, he’s a local — meaning he’s got access to loads of money in the DMV and can do the job without having to constantly jet off to his home state. At 66, Van Hollen is just young enough to make the case that he can lead the party into the future for 5-10 years before handing off the reins to the younger generation.
Again, I do NOT think Schumer is in any immediate trouble. Why would that change? If Democratic Senators started publicly calling for him to step aside.
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