Internal Democratic Party leadership battles in both chambers of Congress are escalating, with progressive lawmakers and activists publicly challenging Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08) ahead of January leadership votes.
In the Senate, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) has formally announced a challenge to Schumer. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) has said he will back Van Hollen’s bid. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) has also said she will not vote for Schumer, though she stopped short of endorsing Van Hollen or confirming her own plans.
“We’ve had good conversations. I’ve been open that I’m not voting for Senator Schumer…but I’m glad to see there’s more people getting in the race,” Slotkin told a reporter.
When asked separately whether she was still considering her own leadership run, Slotkin declined to answer and walked away from reporters.
A vote-count document circulated by Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman showed Schumer with 14 supporters and Van Hollen with 5, alongside two senators listed as “not Schumer” votes. That tally did not include South Carolina’s Annie Andrews or Kansas’ Adam Hamilton, both of whom have separately said they would not vote for Schumer, suggesting the “not Schumer” camp may be larger than initially reported. The Alaska Senate race remains uncalled, adding further uncertainty to the overall count. Despite the growing opposition, the balance of undeclared senators still appears to favor Schumer at this point.
In the House, Democratic leadership tensions have also surfaced. Incoming Ohio Rep.-elect Don Leonard, representing Ohio’s 15th District, said he had been warned by senior Democrats that failing to support Jeffries for Speaker could make his life a “living hell.” Leonard later clarified to TMZ that the warning came from senior elected Democratic officials rather than party leadership itself, and described it as “friendly advice” carrying “stark consequences.”
Jeffries faced direct confrontation from progressive activists this week at the What’s Next conference, where demonstrators interrupted his remarks for nearly two minutes, shouting that he was a “liar” and a “f**king traitor” while demanding action on unspecified issues. Several protesters were removed from the venue during the outburst.
Despite the public friction in both chambers, current indications suggest both Schumer and Jeffries remain likely to retain their leadership posts when votes are held in January.
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