{"id":2584807,"date":"2026-03-28T06:21:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T10:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/schumers-prized-recruits-wont-commit-to-keeping-him-as-leader\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T06:23:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T10:23:53","slug":"schumers-prized-recruits-wont-commit-to-keeping-him-as-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/schumers-prized-recruits-wont-commit-to-keeping-him-as-leader\/","title":{"rendered":"Schumer\u2019s prized recruits won&#8217;t commit to keeping him as leader"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fschumers-prized-recruits-wont-commit-to-keeping-him-as-leader%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2584807&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A Washington Examiner piece reports that Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer\u2019s push to recruit blue-chip battleground candidates for teh 2026 elections is facing a reluctance among those candidates to publicly commit to backing him as leader. In four key states-alaska, Maine, North Carolina, and Ohio-none of the Schumer-endorsed contenders are willing to say they would support Schumer if elected to the Senate. The same hesitancy appears in Michigan, Minnesota, and Iowa, illustrating widening divisions within the Democratic caucus as candidates navigate risks of taking a position on leadership.Some lawmakers, including liberals like Chris Murphy and Elizabeth Warren, have at times opposed Schumer\u2019s preferred options, underscoring ongoing tensions over who shoudl lead the party. The leadership vote is expected after the midterm elections,with outgoing members not participating,and Schumer has not commented publicly. Party strategists argue the noncommittal stance helps avoid giving opponents ammunition, while supporters like Corbin Trent view the dynamics as a potential rebirth for Democratic leadership and reform.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Schumer&rsquo;s prized 2026 recruits won&rsquo;t commit to keeping him as Senate leader<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2543790\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chuck-schumer\/\">Chuck Schumer<\/a> (D-NY) was praised for landing a series of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3850709\/schumer-lands-prized-senate-recruits-key-battlegrounds\/\">blue-chip battleground<\/a> Senate recruits for the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\">midterm elections<\/a>, but those same candidates are avoiding whether they&rsquo;d support the Senate minority leader staying at the helm of the Democratic caucus.<\/p>\n<p>In the four states Democrats see as key to retaking the majority &mdash; Alaska, Maine, North Carolina, and Ohio &mdash; none of the candidates endorsed by Schumer are willing to say publicly they&rsquo;re prepared to return the favor, if elected to the upper chamber.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4507134\/tillis-warn-iran-strategy-slam-both-parties\/\">Thom Tillis warns on Iran strategy, slams both parties as shutdown drags on<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4506813\/fine-thune-save-america-act-stalls\/\">Fine blasts Thune for &#8216;private escort&#8217; out of town as SAVE America Act stalls<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4506494\/democrats-say-republicans-caved-dhs-deal-despite-no-immigration-policy-reform\/\">Democrats say Republicans &#8216;caved&#8217; on DHS deal despite no immigration policy reform wins<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>So too is mum the word for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ranked-choice-voting-failed-to-make-ballot-in-missouri-but-beware-the-left-will-keep-pushing-it\/\" title=\"Ranked...Choice Voting Failed To Make Ballot In Missouri \u2014 But Beware, The Left Will Keep ...ing It\">establishment-backed contenders<\/a> in Michigan, Minnesota, and Iowa, underscoring the hands-off approach embraced across the map by Senate hopefuls for a party leader who&rsquo;s faced calls from progressive outsiders for his ouster over the handling of President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump&rsquo;s<\/a> second term.<\/p>\n<p>The strategy may <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >bring poor short-term optics<\/a> for Schumer and give Republicans and Democratic primary opponents something to attack his handpicked candidates on. But the alternative of staking out a position could give critics even more political &ldquo;ammunition.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a very smart move not to give your enemy something to attack you with,&rdquo; said Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf, who advised former President Bill Clinton and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. &ldquo;Why give them any ammunition? Say nothing. And stay to the issues, not to the personalities.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Schumer did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Senate leadership elections will occur in the weeks following the midterm elections and mark the first unofficial votes that senators-elect cast before they&rsquo;re sworn in at the start of the new <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"31\">Congress<\/a> on Jan. 3, 2027. Outgoing members will not get a say. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Hallie Shoffner, the Democratic nominee in a longshot bid to unseat Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) from a &ldquo;solid&rdquo; red seat, described Schumer as an embodiment of the &ldquo;out-of-touch Democratic Left,&rdquo; a conclusion others in her party agree with but will often only admit privately. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Respectfully, I think Chuck Schumer should sit down and go spend some time with the grandchildren I&rsquo;m sure he has,&rdquo; Shoffner said in an interview. &ldquo;Yes, I&rsquo;m a Democrat. But before anything else, I&rsquo;m an Arkansan. I am not a lockdown vote for the national Democratic Party, and Chuck Schumer can get bent if he tries to pressure me into something that isn&rsquo;t right for the people of Arkansas.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Although unwilling to commit publicly, Schumer has strong preexisting relationships with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/maine\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"193\">Maine&rsquo;s<\/a> Gov. Janet Mills, Ohio&rsquo;s Sherrod Brown, and North Carolina&rsquo;s Roy Cooper. And Brown, a former senator, previously voted for Schumer as leader. None responded to requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Mills&rsquo;s primary opponent, oyster farmer and progressive insurgent Graham Platner, echoed other outsiders last year in calling for Schumer to lose his leadership post over his government shutdown dealings with Republicans. Both Platner and Mills are vying for the Democratic nomination to take on centrist Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) enters an elevator at the U.S. Capitol, Friday, March 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Tom Brenner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/michigan\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"655\">Michigan<\/a>, where Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) is retiring, a spokesperson for Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) said she was noncommittal. She previously <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.semafor.com\/article\/06\/16\/2025\/missing-the-point-haley-stevens-doesnt-want-to-talk-about-chuck-schumer\">equated<\/a> weighing in on Schumer before the election to &ldquo;putting the cart before the horse.&rdquo; Stevens is supported by Schumer and the Senate&rsquo;s &ldquo;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.moderatedemocrats.org\/senators\">ModSquad<\/a>&rdquo; of centrist Democrats. The lone exceptions are the two ModSquad senators from Michigan, Peters and Elissa Slotkin, who remain neutral.<\/p>\n<p>Stevens&rsquo;s Democratic opponents are Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and former Wayne County Health Director Abdul el Sayed. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/magazine\/2025\/03\/25\/mallory-mcmorrow-michigan-senate-chuck-schumer-00246369\">McMorrow opposes Schumer<\/a>; el Sayed did not respond.<\/p>\n<p>In <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/minnesota\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"443\">Minnesota<\/a>, where Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) is retiring, the campaigns of establishment favorite Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) and progressive rival Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D-MN) said their candidates were noncommittal.<\/p>\n<p>In <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iowa\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"468\">Iowa<\/a>, state Sen. Zach Wahls opposes Schumer, while state Rep. Josh Turek, who has received help from Senate Democrats&rsquo; campaign arm, did not respond. They&rsquo;re seeking to replace retiring Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) in a largely safe GOP seat. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Former Rep. Mary Peltola, who&rsquo;s running in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/alaska\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"960\">Alaska<\/a> against Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), did not respond.<\/p>\n<p>The divide on the campaign trail has transcended to Capitol Hill, where Senate Democrats are split over the candidates they&rsquo;ve endorsed. Lawmakers such as Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) have at times cut against Schumer&rsquo;s preferences to side with the more liberal option, with such divisions in the Democratic Caucus playing out particularly across Maine, Minnesota, Michigan, and Iowa.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/in_focus\/4432160\/bitter-senate-primaries-offer-democrats-midterms-roadmap\/\">BATTLE FOR THE SOUL OF DEMOCRATS SEEN THROUGH PRISM OF BITTER SENATE PRIMARIES<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Corbin Trent, a progressive organizer who&rsquo;s worked for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), described the lack of commitments to support Schumer as further evidence that the party is &ldquo;ready for a rebirth&rdquo; with new leadership.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think there&rsquo;s some reality to deal with,&rdquo; Trent said. &ldquo;Whether you&rsquo;re an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ohio-primaries-may-give-potential-insight-into-midterm-elections-experts-say\/\" title=\"Ohio Primaries May Give Potential Insight Into Midterm Elections, Experts Say\">establishment candidate<\/a>, whether you&rsquo;re a left-wing candidate &hellip; if you&rsquo;re genuinely trying to analyze the condition of this country and then improve it, then you&rsquo;re looking for change.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New recruits won&#8217;t pledge Schumer as Senate leader<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3108,"featured_media":2584808,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26079811648961.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[3685,50402,10282,4411,3740],"class_list":["post-2584807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-democrats","tag-leadership-2","tag-recruits","tag-schumer","tag-senate"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26079811648961.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2584807"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2584811,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584807\/revisions\/2584811"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2584808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2584807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2584807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2584807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}