WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats re-elected Chuck Schumer as party leader on Tuesday, as the party faces an extremely uncertain time and there is no real consensus on strategy as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office .
Schumer faced no opposition in the party leadership election, in which Illinois Senator Dick Durbin was also re-elected at No. 2 and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar became the recent No. 3. In a statement, Schumer, of New York, said it was an honor to lead the party forward “at this crucial time for our country.”
“We favor finding bipartisan solutions wherever possible and looking for ways to work with our Republican colleagues to help working families,” Schumer said. “However, our Republican colleagues should make no mistake, we will always stand up for our values.”
While Schumer remains popular with his colleagues, it is a dim moment for Senate Democrats who had hoped they could hold the majority in a third straight election. Instead, they lost four seats and will be in the minority 53-47 as Trump takes office and puts pressure on the Senate to quickly confirm his Cabinet nominees.
Unlike eight years ago, when opposition to Trump’s narrow victory fueled enthusiasm in their party, Democratic lawmakers and many of their constituents are exhausted and searching for answers.
So far, Democrats have been relatively still about Trump’s candidates and presidential plans – a stark contrast to the vocal opposition to Trump when he was elected eight years ago. Schumer declined to comment on the specifics of the nominees, instead allowing Republican reaction to dominate the conversation.
On Monday, Schumer wrote a public letter to South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the recent Republican majority leader, urging him to resist Trump’s pressure to appoint some of his nominees without a vote in the Senate and to push for full FBI background checks all nominees pass. But he has said little else about Trump’s impending presidency.
While some took a more aggressive approach, Washington Sen. Patty Murray, chairwoman of the Senate Health, Labor, Education and Pensions Committee, said Trump’s nomination of Robert Kennedy Jr. to head the Health and Human Services Department was “dangerous” and “nothing short.” from catastrophe” – several Democratic senators say they are conserving their energy and finding a focus.
“Right now everyone is kind of taking a wait-and-see approach,” said Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, who is part of Schumer’s leadership team. “Under the previous Trump administration, there was constant chaos. And I think it’s important to pick your battles.”
It is still unclear which battles they will choose. And Democrats have different opinions about how to address it.
Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz, also the Democratic leader, says that “anyone who has a grand strategy is full of crap” but says Democrats need to “keep things simple” for now.
“We have to talk about people, protect people, stand up for people,” Schatz said. “Don’t talk about protecting institutions. Don’t talk about standing up for institutions. It is not just a rhetorical change, but also an attitude change. We must remember that we are not fighting for programs and projects and line items and agencies or norms. We fight for the people.”
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said he had spent a lot of time thinking and “I don’t think anyone can argue that this was a political election” and Democrats need to address cultural issues. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman says Democrats simply need to “slow down” and avoid the “massive breakdown” of Trump’s last term.
Democrats should prepare, says Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal. He says Schumer chooses his battles “very thoughtfully and strategically.”
“We’re thinking about how to protect ourselves from using the FBI or the Justice Department’s law enforcement agency to retaliate against critics,” Blumenthal said. “How do we raise these issues in a way that Americans understand.”
The Democrats now, after eight years, know better “what extraordinary challenges lie ahead of us,” said Blumenthal.
