Progressives Question Schumer and Jeffries After Democratic Wins

Political organizer Corbin Trent, a former communications director for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a campaign staffer for Sen. Bernie Sanders, called Schumer “bad at his job” and said Jeffries was “not ready for this moment.” Trent, who co-founded Justice Democrats and now runs the super PAC A Fight Worth Having, said voters wanted the country to move in a different direction and called the results the most hopeful political moment of his 46-year-old life.

Schumer told Michael Barbaro of The New York Times podcast The Daily that he did not expect a challenge in the Senate leadership contest. He said Democrats were united but warned, “If we don’t deliver, all this will go away.” The party has 54 Senate seats and 253 House seats so far, with some races still uncalled. Fox News congressional correspondent Chad Pergram said Schumer appeared likely to prevail: if Democrats caucus 56 senators, he would need 29 votes to become majority leader. Sens. Brian Schatz and Chris Van Hollen have been mentioned as possible alternatives, though Pergram said Schatz is seeking another leadership post and Van Hollen reportedly is not pursuing the role.

Progressive leaders argue that election gains should translate into a more forceful agenda. Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution, said the movement helped win competitive races and called for Democrats to use committee hearings, budget negotiations and oversight to pursue concrete gains. He urged Schumer to step aside. Sunrise Movement executive director Aru Shiney-Ajay also called on Schumer to support ending the Senate filibuster or leave the post.

Jeffries, who is expected to become House speaker, faces separate criticism. Nearly 900,000 people have signed a Change.org petition opposing his leadership, according to author and social media creator Nicole Whitted, who is compensated in connection with the effort. Whitted said her concerns were about accountability and whether the party was listening to voters. The outlet Sludge examined Jeffries’ financial backing from executives at Anduril and Palantir, cryptocurrency interests and major Wall Street investors. Melanie D’Arrigo, executive director of the Campaign for New York Health, said a leader of the opposition should not be funded by its opponents.