Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's political future is hanging in the balance, as his popularity among New York Democrats continues to plummet, according to CNN's chief data analyst Harry Enten.
Enten's warning comes in the wake of Schumer's controversial decision to back a GOP-supported spending bill earlier this year, a move that has sparked significant backlash within his own party.
As reported by the Daily Caller, Enten, during his appearance on "CNN News Central," highlighted the dramatic drop in Schumer's approval ratings among his constituents 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 Schumers home state view him."
The data analyst also pointed out the potential threat posed by Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose favorability ratings among Democrats are significantly higher. "And keep in mind, if youre thinking about a primary challenge, it would be a few years away but [Democratic New York Rep.] Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs favorable rating among Democrats is considerably higher, in the 60s," he continued. "So he is doing quite poorly in his own home state of New York. I never thought Id see the day in which just 52% of New York Democrats view Chuck Schumer favorably. Its almost unfathomable."
Further compounding Schumer's woes, a recent poll by left-leaning data firm Data for Progress revealed that 55% of Democratic likely voters would back or lean toward backing Ocasio-Cortez in a hypothetical 2028 New York Senate primary, while only 36% would support or lean toward supporting Schumer.
Despite these troubling figures, Enten noted that a significant portion of New York Democrats still want Schumer to maintain his role as Senate leader, as per April Marist University polling. "They simply dont like the job hes 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 youre a Democrat in New York and these are your ratings this is a big wake-up call if youre Chuck Schumer.
Despite the mounting criticism and dwindling approval ratings, Schumer remains confident that Senate Democrats will regain the majority of the upper chamber in the 2026 midterms. He attributes this optimism to his belief that President Donald Trump and his agenda will increasingly lose support. However, his confidence seems misplaced, given that four Senate Democrats have chosen to retire rather than run for reelection and a growing number of Americans are expressing dissatisfaction with 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.
However, former Clinton pollster Mark Penn has warned that a potential challenge from Ocasio-Cortez in 2028 could spell disaster for the Democratic Party. I dont think shes going to challenge Schumer, but if she does, I mean, already the Democratic ratings are down to 29%. Ive 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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