'Time for New Leadership': Senator-Elect Peggy Flanagan Calls on Senate Democrats to Replace Schumer a Day After Her Win, Breitbart Reports
Breitbart says the Minnesota Democrat named no replacement, and that two other incoming senators have also said they will oppose Chuck Schumer. A leadership vote comes in December.
One day after Democrats won control of Congress, a new Democratic senator wants the party to change who leads it in the Senate, Breitbart reports.
What she said. Minnesota Senator-elect Peggy Flanagan said at her first news conference since beating Republican Michele Tafoya: "I am tremendously grateful for Chuck Schumer's leadership." She then said, per Breitbart's account of reports in the Minnesota Reformer and Star Tribune: "One of the things that we heard last night, resoundingly across the country, is that we are in a new movement in this country. Many of us were elected who refused corporate PAC money, who are beholden only to the people who elected us and are ready to fight for bold change. And so I think it's time for new leadership."
No name. Flanagan did not name a replacement, Breitbart says. Schumer has led Senate Democrats for about a decade and faces a leadership vote in December, before the new Congress takes office in January. As of Wednesday no Democrat had entered a race against him. If he keeps the job, Breitbart says, he is in line to become majority leader again.
Others. Breitbart cites the Wall Street Journal as reporting that two other incoming Democrats, Abdulrahman El-Sayed of Michigan and Juliana Stratton of Illinois, have said they will oppose Schumer for leader.
Background. The Associated Press reported in October that Schumer had broad support among Senate Democrats heading into the midterms, per Breitbart. He drew criticism inside the party in 2025 after voting to advance a Republican spending bill that kept the government open. Senators who spoke to the AP before the election saw no clear successor.
Her race. Breitbart says Flanagan won by 10.15 percentage points, with 1,520,865 votes (53.71 percent) to Tafoya's 1,233,464 (43.56 percent) in unofficial Minnesota results with all 4,105 precincts reporting. The seat stayed Democratic after Sen. Tina Smith chose not to run again. We covered the race result earlier.
Why it matters here. Schumer has promised investigations of the Trump administration, as we reported earlier. A leadership fight would show how much of the incoming caucus wants a different kind of leader. Breitbart's report includes no response from Schumer.
What we could not check. We did not read the Minnesota Reformer, Star Tribune, Wall Street Journal or AP reports Breitbart cites. The El-Sayed and Stratton positions come from the Journal through Breitbart.