Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has raised a fraction of his typical money haul over the last quarter, leaving him open to attacks from leftist insurgents in his own party, The Post has learned.
Federal Election Commission filings show the five-term senator’s receipts slowed to a relative trickle for the last three months — raising questions about the 74-year-old’s future in a party in the throes of a far left youth movement.
The Brooklyn Democrat brought in just $133,000 during the three months ending Sept. 30 – while facing a potential primary challenge from “Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Bronx and Queens), 36, who raised $4.5 million during the last quarter for her House reelection campaign.
She has refused to rule out a challenge to Schumer — and even the the White House could be in her sights.
Schumer’s haul was less than half of the $337,000 he brought in during the equivalent period of his 2022 election — his October 2019 report. Senators serve six-year terms and typically ramp up fundraising as their race nears.
He actually spent more on his political operation than he raised from July through September, shelling out $322,000, his latest campaign filing reveals.
It’s nothing like the fundraising he’s capable of executing when he goes flat-out, fueled by deep-pocketed supporters on Wall Street, lawyers, and the real estate industry. Those three industries are his top backers of his leadership PAC, according to Open Secrets.
During the final October quarter before his election in 2022, Schumer brought in a staggering $5.9 million for his own campaign. The Schumer-linked Senate Majority PAC hauled in a record $119 million in the period ending in October last year.
He’s got $8.6 million in the bank — which trails AOC’s $11.8 million political war chest for her 2026 reelection race.
“There’s a big political and financial upside to being bold and capturing energy, and in this moment that accrues to AOC, not Chuck Schumer,” said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. “He cannot avoid noticing that AOC is the kind of person inspiring people and therefore getting fundraising benefit.”
Schumer, who will turn 78 in January of 2029, is already taking heat from his left-wing comrades for backing fellow septuagenarian candidates, such as Maine Gov. Janet Mills, 77.
There’s little doubt Schumer, who has been rallying Democrats to demand funding for Obamacare subsidies during the government shutdown, can pick up the pace if he wants to. “When he needs it, he’ll have it,” said longtime political consultant Hank Scheinkopf.
