Newly Elected Democrats Call for Chuck Schumer to Step Aside as Senate Leader

Democrats have barely finished celebrating their midterm sweep, and a fight over who should lead them in the Senate is already underway.

Minnesota Senator-elect Peggy Flanagan, a democratic socialist, called Wednesday for replacing Chuck Schumer as the party's Senate leader, just hours after defeating Republican Michele Tafoya.

"I am tremendously grateful for Chuck Schumer's leadership," Flanagan told reporters, before adding that "it is time for new leadership."

She said Tuesday's results were more than a rejection of Republicans. "We are at a point of a new movement in this country," she said, pointing to new Democrats who refused corporate PAC money and promised sweeping reforms. Those lawmakers, she said, are "beholden only to the people who elected us."

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Schumer Isn't Going Anywhere

Flanagan did not name anyone she would prefer, leaving it unclear who could actually take on Schumer.

Schumer, for his part, sounded certain. "I'll be reelected as majority leader," he told reporters Wednesday.

He has led Senate Democrats since 2017 and is expected to face a leadership vote in December, before the new Congress is sworn in. The vote is by secret ballot and will include the newly elected senators.

Flanagan is not alone. At least four other incoming Democratic senators have signaled they will not back Schumer: Adam Hamilton of Kansas, Julia Stratton of Illinois, Troy Jackson of Maine and Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan. Texas Senator-elect James Talarico has largely avoided taking a public position.

Even so, no declared challenger has emerged, and no sitting Democratic senator had publicly come out against Schumer as of Wednesday. Former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle also questioned whether anyone would run against him after the party beat expectations.

A Fight Over the Party's Direction

Flanagan beat Tafoya by about 10 points, despite late polls showing a closer race, and will become the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate.

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She ran well to Schumer's left, backing Medicare for All, a $17 federal minimum wage and dismantling Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In her victory speech, she promised to "rip ICE apart," then softened that on Wednesday, saying incoming senators would work out the details later.

She also wants Democrats to investigate the Trump administration and the president's family business interests once they take control of Congress.

That makes her challenge about more than personalities. It is part of a larger argument over whether Democrats should swing hard to the left now that voters have handed them power.

What Comes Next

Schumer has taken an aggressive stance toward Trump since the election, but he insists the focus must be on affordability. "These voters did not give us the majority so we can do whatever we want," he said Wednesday.

His allies can point to the results themselves as proof that his strategy worked. Democrats picked up Republican-held Senate seats across the country while protecting competitive seats like Minnesota.

Flanagan and her allies believe voters also want a new generation willing to push for bigger structural change. That disagreement now moves behind closed doors ahead of December's leadership vote, where Schumer remains confident he has the support to survive.