Chuck Schumer is facing a leadership revolt from incoming Democratic senators as the political movement embraced by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani gains ground in Congress. Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed, whom Mamdani has publicly welcomed into the same movement, is among those seeking different Senate leadership. Minnesota’s Peggy Flanagan renewed her call for a replacement immediately after winning her election. In New York, three Mamdani allies secured House seats.
The dispute comes as Democrats prepare to take control of the Senate and choose who will lead their new majority. Schumer has headed the Democratic caucus since 2017, but several incoming lawmakers campaigned on changing its leadership. The caucus election is expected in early December, with senators-elect participating in a secret ballot alongside returning members.
Mamdani’s connections to the insurgent wing extend beyond New York’s congressional delegation. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former Rep. Jamaal Bowman traveled to Michigan to campaign for El-Sayed during his primary. Mamdani subsequently praised his victory and described their campaigns as belonging to the same political movement. Schumer and other establishment Democrats had backed El-Sayed’s primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens.
Flanagan pressed the leadership issue at her first news conference after the election, as the Minnesota Reformer reported. “I am tremendously grateful for Chuck Schumer’s leadership … and I think it is time for new leadership,” she said. Flanagan also outlined an agenda encompassing Medicare for All, universal childcare, and a higher federal minimum wage. She identified farmers’ right to repair equipment and restrictions on health insurers’ prior authorization requirements as potential areas for Republican cooperation.
The overlap with Mamdani’s movement also includes campaign organizing. As City & State reported, some Democratic Socialists of America members who traveled to Michigan to support DSA-backed candidates also canvassed for El-Sayed. New York state Senate nominee Aber Kawas joined the campaigning there. Celebrating the Michigan results, Bowman told the publication, “This is a political revolution. Not just in New York but in America.”
El-Sayed has named Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen as a preferred alternative to Schumer, according to Roll Call. Illinois Senator-elect Juliana Stratton’s campaign confirmed after the election that her opposition to Schumer remained unchanged. Maine’s Troy Jackson has also told Schumer he plans to support someone else. The opposition extends to Kansas Democrat Adam Hamilton, who said during his campaign, “I’m not supporting Schumer for leader.”
Watch incoming Senator Annie Andrews address the Schumer leadership question in a Fox News interview here:
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Meanwhile, Mamdani allies Brad Lander, Claire Valdez, and Darializa Avila Chevalier won their House races, as Gothamist reported. Their heavily Democratic districts cover parts of Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx. Their victories bring additional advocates of Mamdani’s affordability agenda, higher taxes on the wealthy, and support for the Palestine to Washington. Ocasio-Cortez also won reelection, alongside fellow New York Democrats Hakeem Jeffries, Grace Meng, Greg Meeks, and Ritchie Torres.
Despite the opposition, Schumer remained without a declared challenger Friday afternoon, according to The Guardian. Former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle told Roll Call he doubted anyone would challenge Schumer after the party’s election gains, although newcomers could withhold their votes. Schumer addressed reporters outside Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee headquarters Wednesday. “I’ll be reelected as majority leader,” he said.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.