BREAKING NEWS · Senate leadership · November 10, 2026
I’ve seen what happens when the ego takes control and blinds the eyes of its host. What gets me is how much the man can still see. I thought about that Tuesday when Bernie Sanders said Chuck Schumer won’t have his vote for Senate majority leader. [1]
Chuck can look at last Tuesday’s returns and tell you Democrats won back the Senate on his watch. Hell, I’ll give him his share of the credit. As for the vote his own colleagues still have to take, Chuck told reporters at the Capitol, “I’m confident I will be elected.” [2] If I were him, though, I’d go back through my list and make sure I hadn’t put somebody down as a yes when all they said was Congratulations, Chuck.
“I like Chuck”
Bernie Sanders has known Chuck Schumer for more than three decades. “Nobody who works harder than Chuck Schumer,” he says. [1] I take him at his word, although Chuck might have appreciated Bernie’s vote more. There’s respect in telling someone, even a comrade in arms, where you stand and giving them time to act on it.
But what got me was who Bernie talked about before he got to Chuck. He talked about parents who stretch to pay for groceries, rent, and medical bills and wonder whether their children will be able to live as well as they do. The billionaires, meanwhile, are doing just fine. Those parents, Bernie says, should hear Democrats debate in public what they’re going to do with their newfound majority. [1] Those parents have put in some long hours too, Chuck.
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Who gets the credit?
Chuck can take some credit. He recruited Roy Cooper, North Carolina’s former governor, to run for the state’s open Senate seat. Cooper beat Republican Michael Whatley. [2][3] Chuck says he made two trips to Columbus to convince Sherrod Brown to run for the Senate again, and Ohio voters sent Brown back. [4] If those trips were mine, I’d make sure everyone knew about them.
What about Chuck’s support for Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan? When El-Sayed won the Democratic primary over Chuck’s initial choice, Haley Stevens, Chuck supported El-Sayed. Stevens endorsed Michigan’s GOP nominee, Mike Rogers. El-Sayed beat Rogers by eight points. [4] The candidate Chuck didn’t back in Michigan’s primary will get a vote on whether Chuck should be leader.
How about Chuck’s support for Troy Jackson in Maine? Chuck backed Governor Janet Mills first. When she dropped out, he backed Graham Platner, who won the primary and later withdrew. [5] Maine Democrats chose Jackson at their July convention. Chuck backed him, and Jackson defeated Republican incumbent Susan Collins. [6][7] Before that convention, though, Jackson had already made clear he wouldn’t support Chuck for Senate majority leader. [4][8] How did a vote to defeat Susan Collins in Maine magically become a vote for Chuck Schumer last Tuesday?
What Chuck means by unity
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told reporters Tuesday he expects to win the Democratic leadership election. He said Democrats agree on lowering costs, fighting corruption and ending the war. “We have great unity in our caucus and I will be proud to lead it as majority leader,” Schumer said. [9]
I’ll grant him the first half of that sentence. It’s the and that gets me, since Chuck’s colleagues still have to vote on the second half. But how about on actual policy?
At a Capitol news conference alongside Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) told reporters what it would take to earn her vote. Take those parents Bernie talked about. What would Chuck do in his first 100 days that they’d notice at the grocery store? Slotkin wants whoever runs to tell her how they’d “put money in people’s pockets” and what they’d change about the way Democrats talk to voters. “I’m a no until and unless I see that from anyone,” Slotkin said. [1]
Schumer can still answer Slotkin’s questions, and if he puts that 100-day agenda in writing, her constituents back home in Michigan can hold him to it.
Who’s running against Chuck?
As of Tuesday evening, no one had said publicly they were going to challenge Chuck for the leadership, and Chuck told reporters he expected to get reelected. [9] One possible contender, Maryland’s Chris Van Hollen, said Monday he was “in listening mode” about whether he’d run. [1] By Tuesday, Van Hollen was dialing up his colleagues to get a sense of how they felt about a change in leadership. [1][9]
If Van Hollen goes for it, I’d like to know who he’s been talking with and what, if anything, they’ve told him about backing Chuck. Senate Democrats vote in secret on who their leader will be, so we won’t get a handy roll call to peruse later. [10][4] But if somebody Van Hollen called wants Chuck to stay on, I’d like to hear why. Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan’s senator-elect, has already said he’d back Van Hollen if he runs. [2]
What Are You Counting Chuck?
Chuck Schumer already has Troy Jackson’s answer. Before Maine Democrats even chose Troy at their July convention to run against Susan Collins, he said he wouldn’t back Chuck for Senate leader. [8][4] Chuck backed Troy anyway. I give him credit for that. [6] Troy beat Collins, and come January Chuck gets to count that seat toward the Democratic majority. [7]
Congratulations, Chuck. After a week of hearing that, I’d want beat Collins penciled in beside the check mark next to Troy’s name. I know my ego. Listen I’d remember backing Troy just fine by the time I pulled that list out to count votes for my own election,. What I might forget is that Troy had already said he wouldn’t back me.
Elissa Slotkin asked anybody who wants to lead the new Senate majority what they’d do in their first 100 days to put money back in people’s pockets. [1] I’d tweak that question a bit. Chuck, which bill would you bring to the floor first? [11] Okay, say it becomes law. After that mom stops by the pharmacy and pays for her refill, how much more does she have left to pay the landlord? And if it’s going to be a year before she sees a dime of that money back in her pocket, Chuck, let’s be honest with her about that, too.
Sources
1. Bernie Sanders says he won’t support Schumer as Democratic leader in new Congress — CBS News, Nov. 10, 2026
2. Bernie Sanders won’t support Schumer for Senate Democratic leader, saying it’s time for change — Associated Press, Nov. 10, 2026
3. Democrat Roy Cooper wins North Carolina Senate seat, flipping a key GOP-held seat — Associated Press, Nov. 3, 2026
4. Jon Stewart wrong that Chuck Schumer fought half the Democratic Senate winners — PolitiFact, Nov. 9, 2026
5. Platner, accused of sexual assault, suspends Senate campaign — Roll Call, July 8, 2026
6. DSCC Statement on Troy Jackson — Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, July 25, 2026
7. Troy Jackson unseats Susan Collins in Maine Senate race — Maine Public, Nov. 4, 2026
8. Schumer declines to endorse likely Democratic Senate nominee in Maine — The Washington Post, July 21, 2026
9. Bernie Sanders says he will not back Schumer for Senate Democratic leader — The Guardian, Nov. 10, 2026
10. Majority and Minority Leaders — U.S. Senate
11. Leader Recognition — U.S. Senate
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I'd sure like to see someone younger as Majority Leader. We have GOT to break the geezer-hold in Congress. Although, come to think of it, I'm not that fond of Jeffries either.
And if Democrats in Congress have a brain in their collective head, they won't either