The End of Chucky Schumer
If there was a single moment that signaled the curtain closing on Sen. Chuck Schumer’s era at the helm of the Democratic Party, it most certainly occurred in New York City on Tuesday, November 4, when the upstart Zohran Mamdani decapitated the Democratic machine and handed New York’s former Gov. Andrew Cuomo the most devastating loss of his career.
Mamdani’s ascent had to have been startling for Schumer, who has attempted, late in his career, to play nice with the growing progressive wing of the Democratic Party while also dutifully reassuring the monied interests, the ones who really dictate the ebbs and flows of life inside the blue belt. Schumer hasn’t necessarily shied away from engaging with his fellow New Yorker, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the heir to Sen. Bernie Sanders’s political movement and probably to Schumer’s Senate seat should she want it in 2028. But when the rubber met the road, Schumer and his fleet of moderates could always be trusted to deliver the sort of moderate legislative agenda that pleases the Big Business lobbyists who really run the shop in DC.
Take Wednesday, for example. In the eleventh hour, with the government shutdown threatening the ranks of Speaker Mike Johnson’s caucus, and only a week removed from an embarrassing and historic off-year “blue bath” that warranted serious conversations about the serenity of President Donald Trump and the staying power of the populist MAGA, in swept the stalwart Democrat from Brooklyn to save the day—for the Republicans. It was the sort of high-wire act that Schumer has grown accustomed to performing in his years running the show for a party that seems ready for a new consensus that elevates the once-fringe progressive elements that speak comfortably about high taxes, free services, and diverse faces.
When Arizona’s Rep. Adelita Grijalva was sworn into the 119th Congress on Wednesday evening, astute observers couldn’t help but notice the decaying state of Schumer’s Democratic Party. Rep. Al Green, 78, waved his cane. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, 85, hobbled across the House floor. Rep. Maxine Waters, 87, stretched out her withered hands and applauded with whatever life force she had left. Somewhere near the back of the picture stood Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the man who many once considered most likely to take up the mantle left behind by Schumer. But Jeffries, like Schumer, has struggled to find his footing in what is quickly becoming a topsy-turvy Democratic Party with figures such as Mamdani and AOC growing in stature and public opinion.
In an Ipsos poll released Thursday, 330 registered voters gave Mamdani a +67 approval rating, outpacing California Gov. Gavin Newsom by 3 points and newly-crowned Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger by an astounding 27. It seems clear that despite Schumer’s refusal to endorse or vote for Mamdani, the ultra-affable campaign of the Uganda-born democratic socialist captivated Democratic voters across the country who poured into voting stations, far and wide beyond New York City, and delivered a historic off-year result. If you don’t believe the polling figures, just flip on Fox News and wait a few minutes as I did Tuesday morning. “Mamdani-like mayor has chance to win Seattle mayor’s race,” screamed a chyron on Fox News colleagues glumly warned of creeping communism afoot throughout our cornfield republic.
Newsom’s own resurgence spells trouble as well for both Schumer and the Republicans. Though not seen as a progressive in his own party, Newsom’s sudden willingness to trade blows with the Trump White House has done enough to catapult him back into the national consciousness despite years of documented poor governance in the Golden State. It’s clear what Democrat voters want, especially the younger ones—something completely and wholly different from the machine politics that drove the era of Schumer. Promises to fight Trump, freeze the rent, freeze utilities, make public transportation free, and provide government-paid-for childcare is what is motivating young voters on the left, not overtures about the goodness of Democracy and the wholeness of diversity and the fullness of free markets.
The past few years of America’s divisive political landscape have made it easy to come to the conclusion that Republicans are the only ones who dislike Schumer. But that belief couldn’t be further from the truth. Per CNN poll analysis released Tuesday, Schumer is now officially the most unpopular Democratic Senate leader in the history of such polling.
Schumer’s decision to make a deal to reopen the government at a moment when Democrats held peak leverage over their Republican adversaries has done little to thwart the rise of the MAGA-esque, counter-elite rebellion brewing inside the DNC. On the eve of the government reopening, POLITICO reported that Democratic members of the Congress were “fuming” with Schumer’s decision to find eight moderate senators willing to wheel and deal with the GOP so that the inept and bankrupt halls of Congress could begin maneuvering again.
AOC accused the Democratic moderates of negotiating with Republicans “in exchange for nothing.” Sanders, whose outsider bid in 2016 catalyzed today’s progressive revolution, called Schumer’s settlement “a policy and political disaster for the Democrats.” It’s easy to see why AOC and Sanders were so animated. On the economy, Trump has never polled lower. The latest figures from AP-NORC show Trump only has the approval of 33 percent of respondents compared to his two-term high of 56 percent that was recorded near the end of his first administration. And the polling aggregator FiftyPlusOne finds Trump falling below 40 percent approval among adults for the first time in his second administration.
Given the growing resentment towards Trump and the Republicans on the state of the economy, the government shutdown, and the Epstein circus (where Trump is increasingly damaged goods), here was Schumer’s big opportunity to stand pat and start making demands. Instead, he and eight other Democrat moderates betrayed the growing progressive movement inside the party and found common ground with the same sort of Republicans Schumer has so bitterly fought against during the MAGA era.
Schumer’s decision to cave led the grassroots group MoveOn to call for Schumer to step down as de facto leader of the Democratic Party. California Rep. Ro Khanna said “Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced.” Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton joined with Khanna in calling for “new leadership” after hearing from constituents that Schumer has lost his verve.
As calls mount for Schumer to step aside, the most recent polling from Reuters-Ipsos finds that Democratic voters are feeling particularly energized following Tuesday’s results. New numbers released Wednesday showed a 10-point (some polls say nearly 20 percent) decline from August on the question of whether the party had “lost its way.” The Democrats are finding their new voice and coalescing around younger, more progressive figures who threaten to transform the moderate party into a well-oiled fighting machine—and its once-moderate base is beginning to embrace the turn.
Who leads the Democrats out of the wilderness following the disastrous Biden years is anyone’s guess. Newsom appears likeliest based on early polling, although former Vice President Kamala Harris is still showing impressive staying power. Should the party fully adopt its leftward turn, AOC would be in a good position to take advantage of a progressive uprising. Whoever finishes the Democratic rebranding process that is currently under way, two things are clear. First, that the days of Schumer and his ilk will be long gone by the time the race for the next presidency begins. And second, and perhaps most important for readers of this magazine, Republicans may be in for a rude awakening if its political leaders fail to deliver on campaign promises to Make America Great Again.
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-end-of-chuck-schumer/