Schumer expected to win easy reelection as Democrats near 56 Senate seats
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer vowed Thursday that Democrats will not allow President Donald Trump to put “a right-winger” on the Supreme Court, raising the possibility that his party would block any nominee to fill a vacancy over the next two years. In an interview with The Associated Press, Schumer declined to say whether he would hold a court vacancy open until after the next presidential election, as former Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell did in 2016. He said Democrats are “not going to allow any crappy nominees” to the Supreme Court, the lower courts or Trump’s Cabinet.
“The bottom line is we’re not going to allow a right-winger on the court,” Schumer said. The pledge came two days after Democrats won a decisive Senate majority in the midterm elections — a result few predicted a year ago, when Schumer faced intense criticism from progressives within his party and Senate Republicans were betting that a favorable map and Trump’s backing would keep them in power.
While frustration with Schumer remains in some corners of the party, the New York senator is expected to easily win reelection as leader from his caucus after leading Democrats to victories in Republican-leaning states across the country. Democrats could hold as many as 56 Senate seats if they win Mississippi and Alaska, which have not been called. Schumer predicts a “durable majority” 20 years in the making, a period in which he has been directly or indirectly in charge of the party’s Senate campaign operation.
With a majority that size, Schumer is betting that “it’s not just a flip of the Senate once.” He said the party will have the power not only to reject any of Trump’s nominees — forcing him to seek more moderate choices — but also to halt the Iran war and alter policies Democrats have been unable to counter in the minority.
Schumer said the agenda will center on lowering prices, along with five issues Democrats emphasized in the minority: health care, housing, Trump’s tariffs, child care and lowering energy bills. Democrats also want to investigate Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids across the country and scrutinize the Trump administration, which Schumer called “the most corrupted administration by far in American history.”
But Schumer would not get into specifics, or how he plans to get around Trump, who posted a picture of a red hat with the word “veto” in large letters on election night.
Passing legislation will still require Republican support, and Schumer must manage a caucus that includes progressives who have criticized him and incoming freshmen who won red states and would not commit to supporting him for leader during their campaigns. He predicted Republicans will suffer more losses “and keep following Trump over the cliff” if they do not work with Democrats in a bipartisan way.
Schumer would not say whether he will try again to eliminate the filibuster, which he tried and failed to do as majority leader during President Joe Biden’s term to allow legislation to pass with a simple majority instead of 60 votes. “The focus has got to be on getting things done,” he said. “That’s all I am saying.”
Asked whether he would support a third impeachment of Trump, who was impeached and acquitted twice during his first term, Schumer said he would support the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, an effort House lawmakers have already launched. On the question of Trump himself, Schumer said, “That’s up to the House.”
Schumer first led his party’s Senate campaign arm in the 2006 cycle and has had a hand in every election since, with mixed results. He attributed this year’s wins to his own candidate recruitment and a focus on local issues in Republican states: the effect of Trump’s tariffs on farms in Iowa, where Democrat Josh Turek won; Trump’s war with Canada in Maine, where Democrat Troy Jackson defeated Republican Sen. Susan Collins; and data centers in Ohio, where former Sen. Sherrod Brown won after losing his seat two years ago to Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno. The party’s focus on lowering costs was “a message that resonated everywhere,” he said. “That’s a big difference than in the past.”
The Democrats who won were not all his recruits. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, who represents the progressive wing of the party, defeated Schumer’s original choice for the seat, Haley Stevens, in the primary. Still, Schumer poured $67 million into the race to help El-Sayed, and the two “talk regularly,” he said.
Even with the winning record, Schumer’s future is unclear. He is up for reelection in 2028 and would not say whether he will run for a sixth term. “I’m focused on 2027,” said Schumer, who became the party’s Senate leader in 2015. Senators in his caucus are sticking by him, but many are agitating for change as they enter a new era of power.
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a potential contender for the 2028 presidential nomination who has not committed to supporting Schumer, said Wednesday in an interview with The Associated Press that Democrats need an “open and honest discussion” about the party’s next leader. Vermont Sen. Peter Welch said in a separate interview that Schumer “has to adjust and open things up and take into account the criticism of our efforts.” Still, Welch said, there is no indication of a leadership challenge. “Schumer did an incredible job on this campaign,” he said.