Schumer had a plan to win back the Senate. But some Democrats aren't on
board
[March 31, 2026]
By JOEY CAPPELLETTI
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats’ hopes of reclaiming the U.S. Senate are
colliding with a fight within their own party.
In Maine, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has thrown his weight
behind Gov. Janet Mills in a crucial race, but some of his Senate
colleagues are backing insurgent candidate Graham Platner in a rebuke of
his strategic vision. A similar dynamic is playing out in other
battlegrounds, including Michigan and Minnesota, where progressives
senators are endorsing non-establishment candidates.
At stake is more than any single race. Democrats are fighting over
whether the party's traditional playbook still works in a country that
elected Donald Trump for a second time — and whether leaders like
Schumer should remain in charge.
“Clearly there’s a disagreement of strategy here,” said New Mexico Sen.
Martin Heinrich, who has endorsed Platner.
He added that “the business-as-usual calculation for what is going to be
successful in a given election cycle does not necessarily, in my view,
meet the moment.”
The divide reflects a Democratic base frustrated after the last
presidential election, when President Joe Biden ran for a second term
despite widespread concerns about his age. He dropped out and endorsed
Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump.
Nan Whaley, a Democratic strategist in Ohio who ran for governor four
years ago, said the debate is no longer about progressive or moderate.
“It’s really about, who do you trust? Establishment or not
establishment," she said. "And frankly, the establishment hasn’t given
us a lot to trust these past few years.”
‘A rebuke of Schumer’
In Maine, Schumer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, or
DSCC, have backed Mills, a 78-year-old moderate in her second term.
Platner, a veteran and oyster farmer, quickly won the backing of Sen.
Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., just days after launching his campaign. His bid
has since gained momentum despite scrutiny over past controversial
comments and a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol.
In recent weeks, Heinrich, Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego and Massachusetts
Sen. Elizabeth Warren have endorsed Platner as he builds support on
Capitol Hill. Heinrich and Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse held a
fundraiser for him, too.
Gallego, a first-term senator who won a battleground race in 2024,
downplayed the endorsements as a broader critique of party leadership.
“Senate leadership didn’t back me at the beginning. So I didn’t take
that as a critique,” Gallego said.
Michigan also has a contentious primary, with three high-profile
candidates. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow has said she would not support
Schumer as the caucus leader if Democrats regain the majority, and she's
been endorsed by four senators.
Abdul El-Sayed, running further to the left, has been endorsed by
Sanders and has also run on an anti-establishment platform.
U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens has aligned with establishment figures, working
with a former DSCC executive director and securing support from two
senators.
Democratic strategist Lis Smith said the endorsements in races like
Maine and Michigan are “as much as a rebuke of Schumer as it is an
endorsement of these candidates.”
“It’s pretty uncommon for sitting senators to endorse against the Senate
leader,” Smith said. “Senators are reading the tea leaves and are
getting feedback from the grassroots that they are dissatisfied with
Schumer’s performance as leader.”
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks to reporters outside the
Senate Chamber, following a vote on Capitol Hill in Washington,
Saturday, March 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
In Minnesota, an open-seat race has similarly emerged as a test of
the party’s direction. Rep. Angie Craig is seen as the centrist
candidate in the primary, with endorsements from House Democratic
Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Nancy Pelosi. Lt. Gov. Peggy
Flanagan, the more progressive candidate, has been backed by
Sanders, Warren and others, including Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith, who
is vacating the seat.
“She understands that right now what we need are fierce fighters,
people who are willing to stand up to the status quo,” Smith said in
her endorsement.
‘The election may impact’ Schumer's time as leader
Some tensions trace to March 2025, when Schumer voted with
Republicans to end a government shutdown, drawing backlash from
Democrats who argued he did not push hard enough against Trump’s
agenda.
Later that year, Democrats held firm in a record-long shutdown
fight, helping regain some ground with activists and progressives.
But divisions resurfaced when a group of moderates ultimately sided
with Republicans, fueling renewed frustration with party leadership
even as Schumer opposed the move.
Since he became Senate leader in 2017, Schumer’s record in elections
has been mixed. He led Democrats back to the majority in 2020 and
expanded it in 2022 but lost ground in both 2018 and 2024.
“Leader Schumer's North Star is taking back the Senate and is
pursuing a path to do just that,” said Allison Biasotti, a
spokesperson for Schumer.
He’s recruited high-profile candidates this year in tough Senate
races, such as Alaska, Ohio and North Carolina. Maeve Coyle,
communications director for the DSCC, said Schumer “created a path
to win a Democratic Senate majority this cycle” with the
recruitment.
“Senate Democrats overperformed in the last four election cycles and
in 2026, we will win seats and flip the majority,” she added.
David Axelrod, who served as a top strategist for President Barack
Obama, said that being Senate leader is never easy, and that Schumer
“has been under fire for some time, particularly from progressives
in the party.”
Schumer’s time as leader, Axelrod added, is likely directly linked
to the outcome of the 2026 midterms.
“There’s questions as to whether he’ll run in 2028. There’s even
questions as to whether he might be challenged as leader,” he said.
“I think the results of this election may impact that.”
For now, Schumer’s caucus is tentatively standing behind him. None
have explicitly called for him to step aside. But discontent has
lingered, with some openly questioning whether the party needs a new
direction.
“How people did politics in the 1990s is going to feel different
than in the 2020s,” said Heinrich.
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