“Life is getting increasingly impossible to afford, and in that environment, I think electorates — the Democratic electorate, but also I think voters in general — are looking for a change,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “They’re seeing that progress is not happening in the ways that meets the challenges that they’re facing, and so you’re going to see, I think, people voting for new leadership and to change their representation.”

Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) suggested Schumer and his fellow New Yorker across the Capitol, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), could both be in trouble for retaining their positions next year.

“If people can’t understand that the game has fundamentally changed, and they can’t adapt, then they need to let others lead,” Slotkin told sports commentator Stephen A. Smith on SiriusXM’s Straight Shooter with Stephen A..

Tuesday’s elections included Darializa Avila Chevalier besting Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander ousting Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), and state Assemblywoman Claire Valdez beating the chosen successor of retiring Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY).

Schumer dodged questions on the triumphs of the Mamdani-backed candidates and what it suggests for him and the Democratic Party approaching the midterm elections. Avila Chevalier and Valdez identify as socialists, while Lander is a former longtime member of the DSA. Earlier this month, Janeese Lewis George won the Democratic primary for mayor of Washington, D.C., putting her on track to become the first socialist to lead the nation’s capital.

“We have a great, unified party, and we’re going to stop Trump,” Schumer told reporters Wednesday.

Schumer, at this stage, is likely to be anointed to another two-year post as leader following the midterm elections, a position he’s held for nearly a decade. But his ability to be reelected to a sixth Senate term in 2028 faces a growing threat in the face of mounting left-wing angst. He has not said whether he’ll seek another term.

Democrats have downplayed the significance of the socialist victories while acknowledging there are lessons to be learned, simultaneously arguing the elections took place in deep-blue silos not reflective of the broader coalition while also noting there’s a desire for bolder and more progressive politicians. Others, particularly centrists and those in swing districts, have sounded the alarm in interviews with the Washington Examiner.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) called the socialist wins a “red-letter day for the dirtbag left.” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), vice chairman of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, condemned them as “chaos creators who are not going to be interested in solving problems.”

“I believe the way forward for the Democratic Party, and for both parties, actually, is to lead from the middle,” Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY) said. “I don’t think they’re the poster children we want for our party.”

Still, the grumblings won’t change the course of the party’s tilt further left and the heightened threat it’s likely to present to Schumer.

Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), the first and only Generation Z member of Congress, considers Schumer to be doing a “little better” since calls for his ouster as leader for striking a government funding deal with Republicans shortly into Trump’s second term.

“I hope we get some more fight from the Senate,” Frost said. “I think it’s been a big problem.”

TRUMP AND GOP FIND MIDTERM MESSAGE AFTER NEW YORK SOCIALIST SWEEP

Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez has deflected questions about potential plans to primary Schumer but has not ruled out the possibility.

“I think that seat’s hers, if she wants it,” said Corbin Trent, a former aide to Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders. “There are very few other people that can make as much news as she can, and that’s a very powerful thing.”

Hailey Bullis and Max Grinstein contributed to this report.