Democrats stick with Schumer as leader. Their strategy for countering Trump is far less certain
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats re-elected Chuck Schumer as party leader on Tuesday, as the party faces highly uncertain times, with no real consensus on a strategy as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office.
Schumer was unopposed in the party leadership election, with Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois also reelected as No. 2 and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota becoming the new No. 3. In a statement, Schumer, from New York, said he felt honored to move the party forward “during this pivotal time for our country.”
“Our preference is to secure bipartisan solutions where possible and find ways to work together with our Republican colleagues to help working families,” Schumer said. “However, our Republican colleagues should make no mistake about this, we will always stand up for our values.”
While Schumer remains popular with his colleagues, it is a somber moment for Senate Democrats, who were hoping they could retain their majority for a third straight election. Instead, they lost four seats and will be outnumbered, 53-47, as Trump takes office and pressures the Senate to quickly confirm his Cabinet nominees.
Unlike eight years ago, when opposition to Trump’s narrow election victory fueled enthusiasm in their party, Democratic lawmakers and many of their voters are exhausted and looking for answers.
So far, Democrats have remained relatively quiet about Trump’s nominees and plans for office — a stark contrast to the vocal opposition to Trump when he was elected eight years ago. Schumer has declined to comment on the details of any nominees, instead letting the Republican response dominate the conversation.
On Monday, Schumer wrote a public letter to Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the new Republican majority leader, asking him to resist pressure from Trump to allow him to appoint some of his nominees without a vote in the Senate and to push for full FBI background checks for all nominees. But he has said little else about Trump’s upcoming presidency.
While some have been more aggressive — Washington Sen. Patty Murray, a former chairman of the Senate Health, Labor, Education and Pensions Committee, said Trump’s nomination of Robert Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services is ‘dangerous’ and “nothing short of a disaster” – several Democratic senators say they are conserving their resources and looking for a focus.
“Everyone is kind of in a wait-and-see mode right now,” said Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, who is part of Schumer’s leadership team. “Under the previous Trump administration, there was constant chaos. And I think it’s important to choose your battles.
It is still unclear which fights they will choose. And Democrats have differing opinions on how to combat it.
Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, who is also in the Democratic leadership, says “anyone who has a grand strategy is full of nonsense” but thinks Democrats should “keep things simple” for now.
“We need to talk about people, protect people, advocate for people,” Schatz said. “Don’t talk about protecting institutions. Don’t talk about advocating for institutions. It is not just a rhetorical shift, but also a change in mentality. We must remind ourselves that we are not fighting for programs and projects, line items, agencies or standards. We fight for people.”
Senator Mark Warner of Virginia said he has spent a lot of time thinking, and “I don’t think anyone can argue that this was a policy election,” and that Democrats need to look at cultural issues. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania says Democrats just need to “pace up” and avoid the “massive freakout” of Trump’s last term.
Democrats should prepare, says Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. He says Schumer is choosing his battles “very thoughtfully and strategically.”
“We are considering how we can protect ourselves against the use of the FBI or the Justice Department’s prosecutorial authority to retaliate against critics,” Blumenthal said. “How we elevate these issues in a way that the American people understand.”
Democrats now, after eight years, know better “the extraordinary challenges we will face,” Blumenthal said.