At the time of the meeting, Ocasio-Cortez was fresh from her stunning primary upset victory. She hadn’t even been sworn in yet. But in the two years since then, Schumer has contributed to a plan to cancel student loan debt by order of the executive. He voted against the agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada. He has said “nothing is off the table” when it comes to eliminating the filibuster. And that’s just a fraction of the progressive moves he’s made in recent years. It still hasn’t vaccinated him against the possibility of a primary.
‘It is exciting to see how much action Schumer is currently taking, ”said Saikat Chakrabarti, the former Ocasio-Cortez chief of staff. “And I hope that progressives continue to pressure him and threaten a potential primary. “
With Schumer at the helm of the Senate, the prospect of a left-wing challenge next year will play a major role in shaping the legislation coming out of Washington. That applies regardless of whether Ocasio-Cortez pulls the trigger, at least for the coming months.
The two-session congressman is seriously considering campaigning for the seat, but is so far undecided, according to people familiar with her thinking. Multiple sources said her decision depends on how Schumer wields power with his new Democratic majority in the coming months: Will Mitch McConnell push him around? Or will he work to pass ambitiously, progressively legislation favored by the left?
“It depends on what Schumer does,” said Waleed Shahid, communications director of Justice Democrats, the left-wing group that recruited Ocasio-Cortez to run for Congress, citing a challenge from her or another progressive candidate. “Schumer will have to explain all of his decisions to one of the most progressive primary voters in the country, and if voters think he is capitulating to Mitch McConnell and not running his caucus to provide for working families, he will be in trouble.”
So far, Ocasio-Cortez has taken care not to let her hand tilt in public.
“The Congressman represents one of the districts most affected by Covid and that remains her priority and focus,” said her spokesman Lauren Hitt when asked about a primary challenge.
Some forward-thinking organizations closely associated with Ocasio-Cortez are also taking a wait-and-see approach to a primary, which they said could come from her or another candidate if she decides to drop a campaign.
“Whether it’s worth putting a lot of effort on the left into priming Chuck Schumer in 2022 certainly depends on what he does in 2021,” said Evan Weber, political director of the Sunrise Movement. “We’ve already seen a lot of evolution from Schumer on a whole host of issues, and if he continues to evolve and actually perform for Democrats and be the leader we need now, the biggest thing he could do is avoid a big next year. effort behind a left primary. “
For those on the left flank of the party, the idea of firing Schumer is appealing in part because he is a member of a Democratic congressional leadership that they believe has failed. His record includes a vote for the Iraq War and support for the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act – two issues that remain hot on the left. Their desire for a new approach has also taken on more urgency due to the times – progressives recognize that Schumer is not Joe Manchin, West Virginia’s centrist senator, but he’s not an FDR either, which is what they think it takes to turn Covid. end, achieve the economy and racial justice.
They will keep a close eye on Schumer to see if he can deliver a massive stimulus package, pass climate and jobs legislation, and convince the holdouts in his caucus to eliminate the filibuster.
Schumer’s allies say his reach with progressives is part of building relationships that he always prioritises among voters, especially in New York, and his track record is representative of the Democratic Party’s overall shift to the left in recent times. years. They also irritate the idea that his left-wing movements are purely political. The politician who once sold himself as a law-and-order Democrat said last year that ‘the problems that existed, say, in the 1990s, are different. than the problems that exist today. “
In his first sit-down TV interview since becoming majority leader in the Senate – which took place with MSNBC presenter Rachel Maddow, a nod to the liberal base – Schumer called for transformative legislation.
America needs bold change. We need a bold change immediately, ”he said. “We have Covid, the worst healthcare crisis in 100 years since the Spanish pandemic flu. The worst economic crisis since the New Deal, so we must act quickly. “
Despite his rhetoric, many progressives remain skeptical and scarred by what they saw as an inadequate response to the Obama-era Democrats’ recession. A group of high-profile left-wing organizations are considering airing TV ads this year to pressure him to become big. Other progressive activists are taking a more aggressive approach and are in the early stages of supporting a challenge.
Given her national profile, Ocasio-Cortez’s allies are confident that she would raise a huge amount if she ran for the Senate, perhaps as much as $ 100 million. She brought in nearly $ 20 million on her reelection campaign, which she easily won. Many are also optimistic about her chances.
“They think she would win,” said a Democratic House source.
Still, progressives know she has work to do outside of New York City when she runs. During the presidential election, her staff spoke to her about the potential to strengthen her appeal in the state by campaigning there for Senator Bernie Sanders if he eventually became competitive in New York, a person familiar with the talks said. (Sanders eventually announced that he was supporting Joe Biden before the state primary.)
While some in Schumer’s orbit reportedly believe that Ocasio-Cortez is more likely to run a campaign for governor or lieutenant governor, her allies said she is more interested in continuing on the legislative track than pursuing an executive career.
As Ocasio-Cortez runs, Schumer won’t be caught off guard like Joe Crowley or Eliot Engel, two powerful House Democrats ousted by Ocasio-Cortez and now-Rep. Jamaal Bowman, respectively.
In tune with New York’s political trends, Schumer has indicated that he is not concerned.
“Throughout my career, I do the best work for my constituents and for my country, and it always works. I haven’t had a big plan like, “I’ll be here in ten years, here in twenty years.” I do my job well and then the following falls into place, ”Schumer told POLITICO.
Schumer has also made remarkable moves to reach to the left. He has spoken regularly with the grassroots group Indivisible. He has written opinion pieces for the progressive think tank Data for Progress. Prior to Ocasio-Cortez’s ascent to Congress, he placed Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts on his leadership team.
His willingness to work with progressives also extends to the congressman himself. The two politicians have urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide financial assistance to families to help bury loved ones lost to Covid.
Schumer’s allies claim this is a major talking point used by the left to Crowley and Engel – that they were DC creatures absent from New York – will not stay with him. Schumer is widely regarded as a hard worker, known for his legendary Sunday press conferences in the state where he focuses on hyper-local issues. Even many progressives privately admit that he has a constant presence in New York.
“The arguments that Congressman Bowman made against Engel were not ideological … but that he is not there,” said Stu Loeser, Schumer’s former communications director. “This is not an argument you can make against Chuck Schumer.”
Schumer’s allies also believe that, unlike the Democratic state lawmakers who were thrown out in 2018 after being rogue and co-leader with Republicans, the left cannot claim to be conservative: He is a liberal in the middle of his caucus who, they emphasize, voted against NAFTA as MPs in the 1990s and has been active in the Working Families Party voting round for years.
Indeed, some progressives see Schumer as a partner, especially after his recent shift to the left. California Rep. Ro Khanna, Sanders’ former co-chair of the campaign that proposed a $ 100 billion scientific research bill with Schumer, said he has been “an ally of bold progressive legislation.”
In some corners on the left, that has led to a reluctance to challenge him.
“We really need to ask who is the impediment to liberal things happening in the Senate, and that’s in my opinion largely the thinness of the majority and the nature of the people who hold our marginal seats, ”said Sean McElwee, Co-Founder of Data for Progress. “And the progressive movement as a whole is limited in the media space it can occupy and the staff space it has.”
Some on the left doubt that Ocasio-Cortez will eventually run partially because, they said, she has not taken any concrete steps to launch a campaign. And there are several schools of thought among its allies as to whether Schumer is standing up a majority leader makes her more or less inclined to accept him.
However, Ocasio-Cortez isn’t the only contender whose name is mentioned in progressive circles as a potential challenger to Schumer. Others include first office holders Bowman and Mondaire Jones, public attorney Jumaane Williams and Senator Alessandra Biaggi.
A Bowman spokesman said he is not considering running for Senate in 2022. Jones and Williams did not comment.
Biaggi, the granddaughter of a former New York congressman, said that while she’s not thinking about running “right now,” “I should definitely visit again.”
“There is a need for unambiguous action,” she added. “If it doesn’t, we have to get serious about who’s leading us right now.”