Democrat candidates won big in the 2026 midterm elections, retaking control of both chambers of Congress. But for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), it may spell the end of his leadership.
In fact, talk of ousting Schumer is ramping up as Democrats prepare to take office next year.
From USA Today:
Newly-elected Senate Democrats are unsure whether Sen. Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat and the party’s Senate leader through the Trump era, should remain at the helm when they come into office in January.
"It’s about action," Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed told CNN on Nov. 5. "The question for us is, who are the other options here and who is going to get us to a point where we’re passing legislation, putting it on the president’s desk and forcing him to make a decision."
Vital for Democrats, the incoming Michigan progressive said, is that they get things done so that "we can talk about what we did to address the affordability crisis."
El-Sayed’s comments come in the wake of his party’s stunning midterm results that saw them flip both the House of Representatives and the Senate, including in districts that had not sent a Democrat to Congress in generations. But the party fell short of a supermajority that would allow them to override the veto powers President Donald Trump has promised to use to block their legislation.
Speaking of President Donald Trump, he indicated recently that his money’s on Schumer keeping his position. “Chuck Schumer probably gets it,” he told reporters at the Oval Office. “He is not a bad guy. I know him very well.”
Trump throws his support behind Chuck Schumer: “Chuck Schumer probably gets it [Majority Leader]. He is not a bad guy. I know him very well.” At this point anyone who thinks change is coming from the duopoly isn’t paying attention. We need a revolution. https://t.co/X5cGvgPVZc
— Power to the People ☭🕊 (@ProudSocialist) November 5, 2026
Democrats are calling for new leadership heading into 2027. Senator-elect Annie Andrews (D-SC) said, “It’s time for a generational change,” when asked whether she would vote for Schumer to keep his position.
Senator-elect Adam Hamilton (D-KS), who will be Kansas’s first Democrat senator in 94 years, made his pledge during the campaign, telling CNN in September he was not backing Schumer and calling him a liability for Democrats in Kansas, according to USA Today.
Schumer doesn’t seem to be taking the criticisms seriously. He told reporters, “The issue is not me, I’ll be reelected as majority leader.”
Still, Schumer has reason to be concerned. At least seven incoming Democrat freshmen publicly said they will not commit to supporting Schumer in next month’s leadership vote. So now, there are six senators-elect on record advocating against Schumer, two more who have not committed, and one sitting senator, Van Hollen, being cagey about whether he will support Schumer.
But this doesn’t mean Schumer is going anywhere. The Democrat caucus is projected to hold 54 to 56 members, and he only needs a simple majority to retain his position.
Dissenters have named only one alternative to Schumer: Sen. Chris Van Hollen. The problem is that he doesn’t want the position. “I’ve made clear that I’m not looking to be the next Democratic leader,” he said, according to New York Post. “I’ve been kicking the tires on a 2028 presidential election.”
Contested elections for conference leadership positions are held by secret ballot. Officers are elected no earlier than December, before the new Congress takes over. Voting continues until one candidate wins a majority.