Key facts
- Sanders, 85, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said he would not support Schumer as Democratic leader.
- Sanders said the midterm campaign was about the Democratic party moving in a new and bold direction.
- Senator Chris Van Hollen said he was calling colleagues to gauge support for leadership change.
- Senator Elissa Slotkin said she was not actively seeking the Senate majority leadership position.
- Schumer has served as leader of the Senate Democrats since 2017.
- No Democrat has volunteered to take on Schumer, the report said.
Senator Bernie Sanders said on November 10, 2026 that he would not support Chuck Schumer's bid to serve as Democratic leader in the US Senate, according to a report. Sanders, a progressive senator from Vermont, told reporters on Capitol Hill that he has known Schumer for over 30 years and likes him, but that in his view the time is now for change.
Sanders, 85, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, pointed to the results of the midterm elections as proof that voters want different leaders. He said the campaign was about the need for the Democratic party to move in a new and bold direction.
Speaking at a post-election conference in Washington on November 10, 2026, Democratic senator Chris Van Hollen said voters' desire for change was clear. He said he was calling colleagues to gauge their support for leadership change. While he stopped short of calling for Schumer's ouster, Van Hollen said the election should not be a coronation and that the Senate Democratic caucus needs a little bit of democracy itself in this moment.
Elissa Slotkin, a moderate Democratic senator from Michigan, said on election night the American people voted for change. She noted she was not actively seeking the Senate majority leadership position.
A group of high-profile incoming Democratic senators have voiced their desire for new leadership. That includes Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan, Adam Hamilton of Kansas, Annie Andrews of South Carolina, Chris Pappas of New Hampshire, Troy Jackson of Maine and Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota. But so far, no Democrat has volunteered to take on Schumer, who has served as leader of the Senate Democrats since 2017.
Schumer has remained confident that he will be re-elected Senate majority leader. He told reporters the previous week that he would be re-elected as majority leader. He reiterated his confidence on November 10, 2026, saying he was confident he would be elected majority leader and that the caucus was united in focusing on bringing down costs, ending corruption, ending chaos and ending the war. He said he would be proud to lead the caucus as majority leader.