Machinists Union Tells Schumer to Step Aside, but Blumenthal Says He’s Still Backing Him
The 600,000-member International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers has urged Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., not to seek another term as Senate Democratic leader, Payday Report reported.
“We believe this is the right moment for a new generation to lead Senate Democrats,” union President Brian Bryant wrote in a letter to Schumer and the Democratic caucus, according to Payday Report. “With the utmost respect and appreciation for your service, we respectfully urge you not to seek another term.”
The Machinists have long been seen as a mainstream union in the AFL-CIO, and it is not clear whether other unions will follow, Payday Report reported.
The letter adds to pressure on Schumer just as Democrats prepare to take the Senate majority in January after last week’s midterm sweep.
Van Hollen ‘in Active Listening Mode’
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., a favorite of progressives, has “received an outpouring of calls and is now in active listening mode,” a person familiar with his thinking said, Newsweek reported. Last week Van Hollen said he was “not looking to be the next Democratic leader.”
Ezra Levin, co-executive director of the progressive group Indivisible, said Van Hollen “has not sought the position, but he has also not closed the door,” according to Newsweek. Indivisible is calling for a contested leadership election but says it is not backing a candidate.
“We need to understand what the Democrats are going to do with this new responsibility and these new powers,” Van Hollen said at Crooked Con over the weekend, adding that “nobody should get a blank check,” Fox News reported.
Another group, RootsAction, is pushing Van Hollen to run and plans a national push Tuesday urging voters to press their senators to replace Schumer, Newsweek reported.
Several incoming Democrats, including Senators-elect Adam Hamilton of Kansas, Troy Jackson of Maine and Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota, have opposed another term for Schumer or called for new leadership, Newsweek reported. Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed has said he would back Van Hollen.
Blumenthal Sticks With Schumer
Not every Democrat is moving away. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Monday morning that Democrats “need to have a conversation about leadership” because “we need new energy and ideas,” the CT Mirror reported.
By Monday evening he clarified his position. “I plan to support Chuck Schumer as Senate majority leader, just as I said last week,” Blumenthal told reporters, according to the CT Mirror.
Schumer has said he expects to be reelected leader. “If we don’t deliver, all this will go away. This is just the first step. But I think we’re united together to do that,” he said on The New York Times’ “The Daily” podcast, Fox News reported.
Schumer only needs a majority of Senate Democrats to keep the job, Fox News reported. He has led the caucus since 2017.
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