Five Incoming Senators Say No to Schumer.
Democrats just won the Senate. Some of the people who won it say the party needs a new leader. Schumer says he has the votes.
Five Incoming Senators Say No to Schumer.
By Elena Cross | Prodigal Breaking News | prodigalbreakingnews.com
November 6, 2026
At least five newly elected Democratic senators say they won't back Chuck Schumer as leader, and others are calling for "new blood." Schumer says he'll be reelected majority leader, and The Hill reports he still has the votes. Democrats choose their leader in December. This follows yesterday's story on Hakeem Jeffries' bid for speaker.
[CONFIRMED] At least five incoming Democratic senators have said they won't support Schumer as leader: Juliana Stratton (Illinois), Adam Hamilton (Kansas), Troy Jackson (Maine), Abdul El-Sayed (Michigan) and Peggy Flanagan (Minnesota), according to Al Jazeera, Fox News and The Hill. "I mean no disrespect for Chuck Schumer, but we need new leadership," Hamilton told CNN in September. Flanagan: "It is time for new leadership."
[CONFIRMED] Others stopped short. Chris Pappas (New Hampshire) says voters want a new generation of Senate leadership, and James Talarico (Texas) called for "new blood" but wants to hear Schumer's vision before committing (Al Jazeera). El-Sayed backs Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who has said Democrats shouldn't commit to Schumer without a "bold agenda."
[CONFIRMED] Schumer: "I'll be re-elected as majority leader, but the issue is focusing on the American people and what they want." He needs a simple majority of a caucus projected at 54 to 56 senators, and The Hill reports he appears to have it. The leadership vote is expected in December.
[CONFIRMED] Republicans are reshuffling too. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday he won't run for minority leader; Rep. Steve Scalise says he will run, and Rep. Jim Jordan reportedly plans to. Senate Majority Leader John Thune reportedly plans to run for minority leader in the new Congress (AP).
[COMMENTARY] The senators challenging Schumer aren't fringe; several flipped red states. Two of them, Hamilton, a pastor, and Talarico, a seminarian, ran on "love your neighbor." The fight isn't personal. It's about whether the people who won the majority get a say in what it's for. Ask every candidate for leader what they'll do, not who they are.
Notice the pattern. Interrupt it.
— Elena Cross, Prodigal Breaking News
Sources: Al Jazeera (Nov. 5, 2026); The Hill via Yahoo News (Nov. 4–5, 2026); Fox News (Nov. 5, 2026); AP via Yahoo News (Nov. 4, 2026). Earlier: They Won a New Congress. Who Gets to Lead It?
Image: AI-generated editorial illustration, not a photograph.
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