Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will get a rare piece of good news Tuesday night: An old friend is primed to win a Senate primary in a crucial state.
Former Sen. Sherrod Brown is a heavy favorite for the Democratic nomination in Ohio as he mounts a comeback attempt in a race that could determine control of the chamber.
Schumer first recruited Brown to run for the Senate two decades ago, and the former senator remains the party’s strongest prospect in a state where Democrats have long struggled. His nomination reflects Schumer’s calculated strategy of backing candidates with proven crossover appeal, such as former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.
But that cautious formula has sparked blowback from progressives who argue that Schumer has misread the political moment.
Schumer “has an idea of what voters want that’s stuck in 1996,” Amanda Litman, co-founder of the progressive group Run For Something, told NOTUS, adding that he is “deeply removed from the anger that people feel.”
The limits of Schumer’s approach were on display last week in Maine. Gov. Janet Mills, whom Schumer recruited to challenge Sen. Susan Collins, dropped out of the primary after failing to keep pace with the fundraising of populist newcomer Graham Platner. It was a stinging defeat for the Democratic establishment, which had hoped Mills’ executive experience would neutralize Platner’s grassroots momentum.
It was the starkest sign yet of Schumer’s waning influence over a party he has led for a decade.
The same day Mills exited the race, Michigan Senate hopeful Mallory McMorrow pivoted to social media to remind voters of her defiance, noting she was “the only candidate in this race” who said she would not support Schumer as Democratic leader. The Michigan state senator is currently locked in a brutal three-way primary against former health official Abdul El-Sayed and the Schumer-backed Rep. Haley Stevens.
McMorrow is hardly alone. In Illinois, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton — a progressive backed by Gov. JB Pritzker who is the Democratic Senate nominee — has made “Schumer skepticism” a core tenet of her brand. Democratic voters are “looking for fighters, not folders,” Stratton told progressive commentator Jack Cocchiarella, a clear jab at the leader’s perceived caution.
To stem the bleeding, Schumer has pivoted to the left.
Schumer hasn’t stayed idle. To stem the bleeding, he has pivoted to the left, backing Democrats who protested this year’s State of the Union and tethering the party to an aggressive “affordability agenda.” He is currently championing plans to slash housing costs and curb energy prices spiked by the war in Iran. During the record-breaking 76-day shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security — the longest in U.S. history — Schumer held the line, refusing to fund the agency without sweeping reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“He is as aggressive as any of us in seeking remedies here,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut recently told MS NOW.
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But the effort has yet to move the needle. RealClearPolitics polling shows Schumer’s approval at a 20-year low, with 48% of the electorate viewing him unfavorably.
In key Senate battlegrounds, Schumer’s blessing is looking more like a burden. In Iowa, state Rep. Josh Turek is neck and neck with state Sen. Zach Wahls, who has campaigned on Schumer critiques, and in Minnesota, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan consistently leads Schumer’s recruit, Rep. Angie Craig, in the race to succeed Tina Smith.
Both Democrats and Republicans say they are prioritizing ideological alignment instead of electability of candidates, according to an NBC News poll from March. But while Wahls and Flanagan represent progressives, the shift isn’t just to the left. In Texas, James Talarico bested Rep. Jasmine Crockett by running as an antiestablishment centrist.
Still, Schumer has had some wins. Along with Cooper in North Carolina, he helped pull Mary Peltola into the Alaska Senate race, another one that could prove crucial to winning the majority.
But it’s a high-wire act in a tight election year for Democrats. Even if Brown wins the Ohio nomination, he will face a tough race against Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed to the seat in 2025.
If Brown loses, Schumer will own the defeat as well, and it could cost him more than just the Senate majority.
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Elizabeth Maline is a senior assignment editor for MS NOW.