Democrats Put New Leadership in Place, Prepare to Work With Trump Administration

Schumer has said he’ll seek opportunities to work with Trump but will face pressure from disappointed Democratic activists to adopt a hard line. Schumer, a 65-year-old New Yorker known for his abrasive personality, is a shrewd political strategist capable of forging compromises with opponents but also able to launch harsh attacks to achieve his ends.

Schumer, D-N.Y., will succeed retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, when the new Congress convenes next year. From left are, Sen. Joe Manchin, vice chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, and Wisconsin Sen. Ellison, D-Minn., is co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Patty Murray (Wash.), who was named to the No. 3 spot of Assistant Democratic Leader. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., for the party’s presidential nomination.

Senate Democratic Leader-elect Chuck Schumer announced Wednesday that Baldwin will serve as the Senate Democratic Conference Secretary. It ranged from liberals like Sens. Elizabeth Warren of MA and Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent, to moderates like West Virginia’s Joe Manchin and Virginia’s Mark Warner.

Considering that Schumer will now be leading the Democratic party through four years of a Republican administration, you may be wondering: Who is Chuck Schumer, and what does his new position mean for Democrats? The former presidential candidate said he will work to make sure the budget “represents the needs of working families and a shrinking middle class, not billionaires”.

Other members of Schumer’s leadership team were also eager to strike a balance between working with Trump and fighting him. Sen.

McConnell and Schumer were elected unanimously at separate closed-door meetings.

McConnell is widely popular among Republicans and his election was by acclimation on Wednesday. McConnell has served as Senate Minority Leader from 2007 to 2015 and ascended to Senate Majority Leader after Republicans won control of that body in the 2014 midterm elections.

McConnell blames what he calls tepid economic growth on overregulation by President Barack Obama. “We’re not going to just, as some have done here in the past, say just because it’s President Trump’s idea or thought, we’re going to oppose it”. “It is time for the country to come together and heal the bitter wounds from the campaign”.

As for the GOP, it re-elected Sen.

“We need to be a party that speaks to and works on behalf of all Americans”, Schumer said.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who was voted Senate Minority Whip, the No. 2 position in the leadership chain. House Democrats delayed their vote until after the Thanksgiving holiday.

No other Democrat or Republican in the Senate has received more money from Trump than Schumer.

The question of which senator will be the next chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which saw mostly disappointing results on Election Night, remained open.