Bernie Sanders won't support Schumer for Senate Democratic leader, saying it's time for change

Sen. Bernie Sanders said Tuesday he would not be supporting Sen. Chuck Schumer as the Democratic majority leader in the new Congress, setting up a seismic confrontation after the party’s sweep to power in the midterm elections.

Sanders was joined by Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan at a news conference at the Capitol, and together they said there needs to be a new generation of leadership and a vigorous debate about the party's direction and future. A number of incoming Democratic senators have echoed the call, signaling that they would support another candidate over Schumer.

“The time is now for change,” said Sanders, the independent from Vermont and essentially the father of modern progressivism in the U.S. “And I will not be supporting Chuck to be reelected as the Democratic leader.”

Slotkin, who said she is not actively seeking the job herself, explained that she wants to see potential Senate leaders present a full plan about the priorities for the new majority.

“I'm a no until and unless I see that from anyone,” she said.

The showdown has been building as Democrats marched across the Senate map to flip Republican-held seats far beyond those that were initially competitive, including in Texas, Kansas and South Carolina.

Schumer recruited high-profile candidates that helped secure the majority, including Sen.-elect Sherrod Brown in Ohio and Sen.-elect Roy Cooper in North Carolina. But his preferred candidates also lost primaries in Michigan and Maine, with the progressive candidates prevailing and then going on to win their general elections.

Democrats, particularly in the party’s progressive wing, have been bombarding congressional offices with phone calls saying it’s time for new leadership. Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed and other progressives have pushed for Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland as a potential contender.

Van Hollen, who has previously said he is considering a run for president in 2028, is now also considering a run for Senate leader. It is not clear how much backing he would have.

“I am in the process right now of calling my colleagues,” Van Hollen said at a Washington event Tuesday.

Schumer, 75, has shown few signs of stepping aside, especially after he just led his party to power. New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, gave a full throated defense of Schumer on Tuesday, saying “this caucus is grateful for the work of Senator Schumer.”

“I’m confident I will be elected,” Schumer said at the Capitol.

Pressed about his own future in an interview with AP shortly after the party's election wins, Schumer said he was focused on the year ahead.

“The focus has got to be on getting things done,” he told AP.

While Republicans have been meeting behind closed doors Tuesday to choose their party leaders for the next Congress, the Democrats in the Senate have just begun those conversations ahead of elections expected later this month.

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Associated Press writer Steven Sloan contributed to this report.