CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten warned Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday that he should be panicking about his political future.
Schumer faced significant backlash from within the Democratic Party after he voted to advance a GOP-backed spending bill in March to avoid a government shutdown. Enten, on “CNN News Central,” said Schumer’s support from the New York Democrats he represents has plummeted since December 2024.
“New York Democrats on Chuck Schumer — view him favorably in December of 2024. That was just a few months ago — it was 73%,” Enten said. “Look at where that number has fallen to in just a few months. It is now down to just 52%. That is the lowest I could ever find in Siena College on how Democrats in Chuck Schumer’s home state view him.”
“And keep in mind, if you’re thinking about a primary challenge, it would be a few years away — but [Democratic New York Rep.] Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s favorable rating among Democrats is considerably higher, in the 60’s,” he continued. “So he is doing quite poorly in his own home state of New York. I never thought I’d see the day in which just 52% of New York Democrats view Chuck Schumer favorably. It’s almost unfathomable.”
An April poll by left-leaning data firm Data for Progress also found that 55% of Democratic likely voters backed or leaned toward backing Ocasio-Cortez in a hypothetical 2028 New York Senate primary, while just 36% supported or leaned toward supporting Schumer.
Enten also noted a large portion of New York Democrats do want Schumer to maintain his role as Senate leader, citing April Marist University polling.
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“They simply don’t like the job he’s doing as Senate leader. I mean, look at this — should Schumer stay as Senate leader? Again, according to New York Democrats, just 50% say yes,” he said. “Look at this number — 48% say no. This screams — sirens should be going off. Primary challenge. Primary challenge. Primary challenge. When you’re a Democrat in New York and these are your ratings — this is a big wake-up call if you’re Chuck Schumer.”
Schumer told Semafor on Wednesday that Senate Democrats will regain the majority of the upper chamber in the 2026 midterms despite congressional Democrats’ approval rating nearing all-time lows. Schumer cited his belief that President Donald Trump and his agenda will increasingly lose support, but his confidence comes as four Senate Democrats are opting to retire rather than run for reelection and a growing number of Americans sour on their job performance.
“I believe I will [become majority leader in 2027],” Schumer told Semafor. “Trump is alienating people left and right … the electorate will desert the Republican candidates who embraced Trump in an overwhelming way.”
Former Clinton pollster Mark Penn warned in March that Ocasio-Cortez challenging Schumer in 2028 could devastate the Democratic Party.
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“I don’t think she’s going to challenge Schumer, but if she does, I mean, already the Democratic ratings are down to 29%. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Penn said. “That means the left base is with the Democratic Party and the moderates are all leaving the party. So AOC taking off Schumer, wow, that could finish this party off. This could put it into the wilderness the way the Labour Party was for a decade.”
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First published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
