Chuck Schumer tapped to lead Senate Democrats

WASHINGTON—Senate Democrats on Wednesday voted to make Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York their new minority leader, setting him up to be the major opposing figure during the Donald Trump administration.

“It is time for the country to come together and heal the bitter wounds from the campaign,” Schumer said in a statement.

Schumer, 65, will be the first Jewish man to lead a party in Congress. He replaces outgoing Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., 76, who earlier this year announced he would retire following a treadmill accident that left him blind in one eye.

While Schumer is very close to Reid ideologically, his installment offers more opportunities for bipartisan deal-making than Reid, whose relationship with Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had soured after numerous bitter policy fights.

“I’ve never seen anything more craven than Mitch McConnell and what he has done to our democracy,” Reid said during his speech at the Democratic National Convention last summer.

Schumer, a Harvard Law School graduate, has served in the Senate since 1998, following nine terms in the U.S. House and three terms in the New York State Assembly.

As the No. 3 Democrat in the Senate, Schumer leapfrogged Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who will remain Schumer’s top lieutenant. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who has a record of working with Republicans on budget and education issues, ascended to Schumer’s old post as assistant leader.

In a nod to the left wing of the party, Schumer expanded the Democratic leadership group to 10, making Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., part of his inner circle. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., a leading moderate, also will have a seat at the leadership table as chairman of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee.

Schumer takes the helm as Democrats are engaged in fierce internal debate over the party’s future after Trump’s victory last week. Given the 60-vote threshold for bringing legislation and Supreme Court nominations to the Senate floor, Schumer will serve as the primary Democratic negotiator for at least the first two years of the Trump presidency.

Schumer’s counterparts leading House Democrats and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) remain undecided.

House Democrats originally planned to hold leadership elections Thursday, but Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., agreed to push them back to Nov. 30 amid accusations of rushing the vote. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, has confirmed he is considering a challenge, partially in response to concerns that Pelosi doesn’t represent the concerns of middle America, which propelled Trump to victory.

“While he has not made any decision about a leadership run, he strongly believes that the American people are asking for big changes, and we need to figure out how best to deliver on their requests,” Michael Zetts, a Ryan spokesman, told the Columbus Times-Dispatch.

Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., is the leading candidate to replace Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., as DNC chair, but some party insiders are seeking to enforce a rule that says Ellison couldn’t keep his congressional seat. Former DNC chair Howard Dean has said he wants to take the position again.

Schumer endorsed Ellison, the first Muslim member of Congress, but he faced immediate backlash over Ellison’s statements critical of Israel. On Wednesday, Schumer, the highest-ranking Democrat to oppose the Iran nuclear deal, sought to assuage concerns about his party’s divisions.

“We are far less divided than the Republicans,” Schumer told reporters.

Republicans on Wednesday unanimously selected Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky to continue as majority leader.