Progressive senator says ‘I like Chuck … but the time is now for change’ as calls grow for new Democratic leadership
Bernie Sanders, a progressive senator from Vermont, said on Tuesday he would not support Chuck Schumer’s bid to serve as the Democratic leader in the US Senate, joining a growing cohort of Democrats calling for a change in leadership.
“I personally have known Chuck Schumer for over 30 years, and I like Chuck. Nobody who works harder than Chuck Schumer. But in my view, the time is now for change, and I will not be supporting Chuck to be re-elected as the Democratic leader,” Sanders told reporters on Capitol Hill.
Sanders, 85, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, pointed to the results of the midterm elections as proof that voters want to see different leaders in charge.
“If this campaign was about anything, it was about change, the need for the Democratic party, in my view, to move in a new and bold direction,” Sanders said.
Speaking at a post-election conference in Washington on Tuesday, Democratic senator Chris Van Hollen said voters’ desire for change was clear.
“I think the question is whether those calls are being heard within the walls of the Senate Democratic caucus,”
