WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is adamant that he will remain in charge of upper chamber Democrats following next month’s midterms — and has issued an inflammatory warning that Republicans could attempt to “steal the election.”
“I am running for re-election for leader,” Schumer insisted to Politico in an interview published Wednesday. “Period.”
The Brooklyn native, 75, added that Democrats are “totally unified” and have the “edge” in their battle to regain the Senate after two years in the minority.
“It’s 50-50. We’re right on the edge of winning. Two things could have us lose. One, they steal the election,” Schumer told Semafor in a separate interview, also published Wednesday.
“The second thing is money. They have obscene amounts of money,” he continued. “All we need is enough to be able to answer the s— they’re going to throw at us, and we’re doing well there.”
A rep for Schumer did not immediately respond to a request to clarify the senator’s “steal the election” comment.
The Republican National Committee currently has about $126 million cash on hand, compared to the Democratic National Committee’s $16.9 million cash on hand and $17.6 million debt.
“Here’s how I sum up the election in one sentence: Can an enormous Republican advantage in dollars defeat an enormous Democratic advantage in candidates and in political climate?” Schumer added to Semafor. “I think we win.”
Republicans are defending 22 of the 35 Senate seats up for grabs in this election and polls indicate the GOP advantage in key races has slowly dwindled away.
The Cook Political Report currently identifies seven races as tossups, with the Democratic nominees in two of those races — Maine’s Troy Jackson and Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed — indicating they would not support Schumer for another term as leader.
Schumer has taken heat from his left flank for a number of tactical decisions, mainly voting in early 2025 to prevent a government shutdown.
Then, during the 2026 primaries, he backed failed primary candidates in the form of Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.)
Throughout the midterm primary season, Democratic voters have signaled frustration with party leadership and polls have shown both Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) underwater with their base.
Still, Schumer believes that President Trump will bear the brunt of voter fury at the polls.
“When Trump travels, he hurts people,” Schumer told Semafor. “When he comes to town, that itself helps us. But then he always talks about the wrong things. He talks about things people don’t give a damn about.”
