The Base Wants Someone Else. Schumer Has the Votes

Schumer has brushed off the criticism. “The issue is not me,” Schumer said Wednesday. “I’ll be re-elected as Majority Leader, but the issue is focusing on the American people and what they want.”

Well before Election Day, amid talk about Democrats regaining the Senate, a compromise idea began floating around: allow Schumer to remain Leader with the understanding he’ll retire when his term ends in two years. That would allow the 75-year-old Democrat to go out on top and cede the seat to someone new, potentially Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive star and fellow New Yorker, if she chooses to stay in Congress rather than seek the White House in 2028.
So far, Schumer has not said if that’s his plan. Either way, Schumer knows how to count. And the numbers, at least for now, are in his column.