Sen. Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat, is ready to relinquish his title as Senate majority leader, but the most senior Jewish elected official in US history will get to remain the leader of what will be a minority caucus in the next Congress.
Senate Democrats reelected Schumer as their leader on Tuesday, a validation after a tough election for the party, which lost control of the White House and the Senate and failed to regain the US House of Representatives. Schumer was unopposed and the vote was unanimous.
Leading a minority
As of Jan. 3, Schumer will lead a minority in a chamber split 47 Democrats to 53 Republicans, as opposed to the 51-49 Democratic majority he has led since January 2023.
Democrats lost seats in West Virginia, Montana, Pennsylvania and Ohio, but Schumer got credit for helping to keep four other states Democratic in close elections: Arizona, Wisconsin, Nevada and Michigan. The 2024 map was much tougher for Democrats than Republicans, with Democrats having to defend 24 seats and Republicans having to defend just 10.
In remarks after the vote, Schumer alluded to the fact that Republicans are still seven shy of a filibuster-busting 60 votes and would need Democrats to get legislation passed.
“Our preference is to secure bipartisan solutions wherever possible and look for ways to collaborate with our Republican colleagues to help working families,” Schumer said. “However, our Republican colleagues should make no mistake about it, we will always stand up for our values.”
In the few weeks he remains majority leader, Schumer has much on his plate, including getting approved a slate of federal judges nominated by President Joe Biden. He has also vowed to push through a version of the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which would enshrine into law the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism.
The IHRA definition is controversial and opposed by a number of Democrats who see its definitions of antisemitism relating to Israel criticism as over broad. A few Republicans in Congress oppose the definition because they believe it prohibits elements of Christian belief.