Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) became the latest Democrat on Sunday to question the ability of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to remain in his role amid the continued fallout from his retreat in a government shutdown fight with Republicans.
Crockett, a progressive second-term lawmaker, suggested Senate Democrats “sit down and take a look and decide whether or not Chuck Schumer is the one to lead in this moment.”
“I definitely think that younger, fresher leadership may be something that many of us, not just depending on what part of the spectrum you’re on, but many Americans may be looking for, especially in the state of New York,” she said on CNN’s State of the Union.
Crockett would not rule out supporting a primary challenge to Schumer by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a move some Democrats are calling for as the party seethes over the Senate Democratic leader helping Republicans advance a GOP-crafted spending bill that averted a government shutdown last week.
“That’s four years from now,” she said. “If you were asking me, at least in two years, then I would have an absolute answer.”
Crockett went on to say Schumer was “absolutely wrong” in his argument that opposing the funding measure would have led to a shutdown and further enable the Trump administration’s slashing of the federal workforce and spending.
Senate Democrats, most of whom opposed Schumer’s position, have had mixed reactions, with some offering deafening silence in their confidence with Schumer and others defending him for being stuck with no good options.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), when asked about House Democratic leaders’ pointed decision not to defend Schumer, suggested the House butt out of Senate affairs.
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“It’s not his call,” Coons told reporters last week of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). “I think my caucus is going to work through our caucus priorities. I think the House caucus is going to work through their priorities.”
Coons added, “The one thing that unifies all of us is clarity that we oppose the reconciliation agenda being advanced by Republicans, that we oppose the tariffs that Trump is putting on [and] taking off, putting on [and] taking off, and raising prices and reducing growth.”
