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Sanders Won't Back Schumer for Senate Majority Leader
Confirmed
In Short: Sen. Bernie Sanders says he will not support Sen. Chuck Schumer for the role of Senate majority leader.
Sanders won't back Schumer for Senate majority leader. Reuters
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., announced Tuesday that he will not support Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for the role of Senate majority leader once Democrats take control of the chamber next year.
"The time is now for change," Sanders said at a news conference, emphasizing his belief that new leadership is needed.
Sanders, who has known Schumer for over 30 years, praised Schumer's work ethic but argued that the current moment calls for a shift in leadership.
"And that nobody should get a blank check without a full understanding from the caucus as to where we’re going to go," Sanders added, signaling his desire for a more transparent and inclusive process.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., also expressed reservations about supporting Schumer, saying she would withhold her vote until she sees a “concrete plan.” Slotkin called for a governing agenda focused on lowering costs and delivering results in the first 100 days.
"This election was about change," said Sanders, highlighting the mandate for new leadership.
Schumer, who has led the caucus since 2017, helped deliver an overwhelming victory for the Democrats in the midterm elections.
"I'm a no until and unless I see that from anyone," Slotkin said, echoing Sanders' sentiment.
"This should not come as a shock when Sanders admitted that the team has cut down by ‘80 percent’ the number of players showing up late for breakfast and meetings and missing weigh-ins," Deion Sanders said, though this comment was.
What this adds
The announcement by Sanders and Slotkin sets up a potential leadership contest within the Democratic caucus, with no senator having officially thrown their hat into the ring yet.
What's confirmed
- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., says he will not support Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to serve as Senate majority leader once Democrats take control over the chamber next year.
- "I personally have known Chuck Schumer for over 30 years, and I like Chuck. [There’s] nobody who works harder than Chuck Schumer. 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," Sanders said at a news conference.
- Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press Joey Cappelletti, Associated Press Joey Cappelletti, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Bernie Sanders said Tuesday he would not be supporting Sen. Chuck Schumer as the Democratic majority leader in the new Congress, setting up a seismic confrontation after the party's sweep to power in the midterm elections.
- "The time is now for change," said Sanders, the independent from Vermont and essentially the father of modern progressivism in the U.S.
- “This election was about change," said Sen. Bernie Sanders.
- US Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday (Nov 10) said he was confident he would be elected Senate majority leader following the midterm elections, after Senator Bernie Sanders said he would not support Schumer for the leadership role.
- Sanders was joined by Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan at a news conference at the Capitol, and together they said there needs to be a new generation of leadership and a vigorous debate about the party’s direction and future.
What's still developing
- Bernie Sanders slammed the Democratic Party establishment and "liberal elites" while speaking on the podcast.
- Chris Van Hollen is being courted by progressives to challenge Schumer and says he's still "actively listening"; as Politico reports, no senator has yet thrown their hat into the ring.
- Left-wing socialist Bernie Sanders and MAGA strategist Steve Bannon took to the same stage on Tuesday to rail against the AI industry and its leadership, in a sign of how spiraling worries over the rapidly advancing technology are upending political alliances.
- When CU coach Deion Sanders revealed Tuesday that he kicked multiple players off the team, it was celebrated in some circles as an example of accountability.