Sen. Chuck Schumer Will Be The Next Senate Minority Leader

Democratic U.S. senators elected Chuck Schumer of NY as minority leader on Wednesday, and he tapped former presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders to help Democrats woo blue-collar workers, many of whom voted for President-elect Donald Trump.

Senate Democrats are turning to Sen. Sanders, who is not a Democrats but works closely with the party, was awarded his first leadership position. But more than anything, Democrats see investments in the nation’s crumbling infrastructure as an area with real potential for agreement. Other than Schumer, most of each party’s leaders will remain in their posts next year, an ironic stability following an election that seemed to show a demand by voters for change.

The move allowed Sen.

Murray won reelection in 2016 against Republican challenger Chris Vance. She’ll also maintain her role as the top-ranked Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Democrats, still reeling from Donald Trump’s shock win and heavy losses in last week’s USA elections, took the first steps towards uniting the party to create a viable opposition in the Republican-led Congress. “My little state of West Virginia has done everything this country’s asked of us and then they turn their back on us”.

“Where we can work together we will”, Schumer told reporters about his expected relationship with Trump, a fellow New Yorker with whom he shares a fondness for TV soundbites and sharp elbows.

Schumer will be negotiating with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who was re-elected to the top leadership spot by his GOP colleagues on Wednesday.

Schumer, who turns 66 next week, will replace 77-year-old Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Republicans will hold a 52-48 Senate majority in the 115th Congress if they win a runoff race in Louisiana in December.

The party has delayed its House leadership elections until November 30th, after the Thanksgiving break, to allow members to regroup.

Schumer will have to balance the interests of red-state Democrats with the wing of the party led by Warren and Sanders. Ellison, D-Minn., is co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. “It’s the direction the party needs to go”. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), newly chosen as the fourth-ranking member of leadership, specifically mentioned Trump’s toxic chief strategist Steve Bannon, the executive chairman of Breitbart News, as a problem.

“The momentum is with us”, Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., said in an interview after nominating Ryan during Tuesday’s closed-door meeting. “The good: he’s a deal-maker”.

The battle for America’s political soul could come down to a street brawl between two boys from Queens and Brooklyn. “And he comes from New York” so “it can get kind of ugly”, Graham said. “I think the vast majority of Americans would be in favor of doing something reasonable with people who are not delinquents and criminals, who have been here a long time”. We both have roles to play.