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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., could be facing headwinds in his quest for power even if Democrats win back Congress’ upper chamber in November.
Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., who is running in a heated primary against incumbent Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said during a debate Monday night that he would not support Schumer as leader if elected.
“The first vote that I take when I get to the United States Senate will be for not Senator Schumer, because we need new leadership at the top as well,” Moulton said.
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., during a news conference following Senate Democrat policy luncheons at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., March 3, 2026. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
He was alluding to the selection of each party’s leadership ranks, which generally comes after the November election.
Markey also did not explicitly endorse Schumer for leader, but he has supported him in the past. Markey’s campaign directed Digital to the senator’s comments during the debate when asked about his support for Schumer.
“We need a big debate about new leadership in the Senate – the direction of the Senate,” Markey said.
It’s a notable move for both Democrats to distance themselves from the current party leader, as the primary for Massachusetts’ Senate seat has been marked by bitter accusations on both sides.
Moulton has accused Markey of selling out his beliefs by taking money from fossil fuel groups, and slammed the 80-year-old senator for his age and lengthy tenure in Congress. Meanwhile, Markey has attacked Moulton for investing in defense companies that the House committees he sits on have jurisdiction over, and his prior comments on transgender participation in youth sports.
The Salem-area House Democrat has a notable history of challenging his party’s leadership. In 2018, he led a rebellion within his caucus to challenge former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., from keeping her leadership post.
He said in a 2019 HuffPost interview that Democratic leadership was “failing” in standing up to President Donald Trump and accused leaders of fueling divisions within the caucus.
Now that fight is playing out in deep blue Massachusetts as part of a wider national war within the Democratic Party. Younger candidates are challenging the establishment left in races across the U.S., arguing that the status quo is not working for Americans today.
Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., speaks during a House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials hearing on July 23, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
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“If you think the Democratic establishment is winning for Massachussetts, if you think it’s fine that the Democratic establishment has allowed asecond term of Donald Trump, then vote for the status quo,” Moulton said during the debate.
Schumer is not up for re-election until 2028, but he must face his fellow Senate Democrats every two years in the internal leadership race to make a case for why he should stay at the helm.
And younger candidates like Moulton could pose issues for him on that front.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who at 53 years old is younger than a significant number of his colleagues, was evasive when asked if Schumer should remain in leadership during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” in March.
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“Well, I think we are united right now as a caucus. There’s always a lot of focus on Senator Schumer and [House Minority] Leader Jeffries,” Murphy said when asked if he supported Schumer, who he said had a “tough job.”
Sen. Ed Markey speaking at the ICE Out for Good protest outside the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office in Washington, D.C. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for MoveOn Civic Action)
Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic socialist running in the Michigan Senate primary against an opponent backed by the New York Democrat, said at a recent rally, “If you’re Chuck Schumer, I’m pretty damn dangerous.”
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And Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., has also called on Schumer to step aside and make way for new leadership.
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Digital reached out to Schumer’s office and Markey’s campaign for comment on Moulton’s remarks.
