Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) said she would not fully back current Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to be the next majority leader when Democrats retake the majority in January.
Slotkin told Politico that no single Democrat can claim credit for the party’s overall blue wave in the 2026 midterm elections, adding that she wouldn’t fully back Schumer until he presents “a plan” to help the lives of everyday Americans.
“Not until I see a plan, no. And I would certainly not vote for him if we don’t have a plan,” Slotkin told the outlet. “The American public had a very strong message for Donald Trump and a very strong message about what they wanted out of their elected leaders, which is something to help their pocketbooks and their kids.”
After the results of the 2026 elections, Democrats will hold at least 54 seats in the U.S. Senate, with Mississippi and Alaska still too close to call, while Republicans have dropped to at least 44 seats in the upper chamber. Schumer is running to lead the Democratic caucus as they retake the majority, but is facing challenges from within his own party.
Several incoming Democrats have declined to explicitly back Schumer for leadership, with left-wing lawmakers like Michigan’s Sen.-elect Abdul el Sayed seeking a more progressive leader and more centrist incoming Democrats like South Carolina’s Sen.-elect Annie Andrews wanting “generational change.”
BLUE WAVE CARRIES SENATE DEMOCRATS BACK INTO POWER FOR FINAL YEARS OF TRUMP PRESIDENCY
Slotkin, who has been floated as a possible 2028 presidential candidate, said the 2026 midterm elections showed that voters sent a “pretty clear mandate that people want a new generation” of congressional leaders. She told the outlet that she was “ruling anything out” when asked about a run for majority leader herself.
“All of this is an open conversation. I just want to be a part of a new generation of leadership that does something different with the expression of power, and I think there’s lots of different ways that that can go,” Slotkin said.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
