即使在民主党知晓其即将获得的参议院多数席位规模之前，党内左翼就已开始鼓动反对让查克·舒默继续担任党魁。但在该党数十年来最好的选举表现之一出现后的几天里，“替换舒默”行动面临着一个显而易见的问题：缺乏替代候选人。
Even before Democrats knew the size of their incoming Senate majority, there was agitation from the left against keeping Chuck Schumer as the party’s leader. But in the days after one of the party’s best elections in decades, the “Replace Schumer” effort is facing an obvious problem: an alternative candidate.
自2017年以来一直领导参议院民主党人的舒默，在本周期成了自由派最爱的“出气筒”，被视为一个无所作为的民主党一切弊端的化身。这位无处不在的纽约人，批评者称，太倾向于寻求妥协，太不愿承诺与唐纳德·特朗普总统及其政府交锋，太喜欢在议程上塞进那么多信息以至于没有任何一条能落地。对于一个直到有了总统提名人才不大可能真正站稳脚跟的党来说，舒默成了这个作为少数党的联盟型政党的方便替罪羊。
Schumer, who has steered Senate Democrats since 2017, became liberals’ favorite punching bag this cycle, an avatar of everything wrong with a listless Democratic Party. The ubiquitous New Yorker was, detractors said, too prone to seek compromise, too wary of committing to fights with President Donald Trump and his administration, too likely to cram so many messages onto an agenda that none of them landed. For a party that still remains unlikely to truly find its footing until it has a presidential nominee, Schumer was a convenient scapegoat for a coalition party in the minority.
“没有人爱查克·舒默，”一位获胜的竞选顾问本周表示。“但他是目前唯一想要这份工作的人。至少现在是这样。”在大选前夕，有几位参议员——马里兰州的克里斯·范霍伦、夏威夷州的布赖恩·沙茨、新泽西州的科里·布克——被视为取代舒默出任多数党领袖的潜在竞争者。但在随后的几天里，无人举手。
“No one loves Chuck Schumer,” one victorious campaign consultant said this week. “But he’s the only guy who wants the job. At least right now.”In the run up to the election, a handful of Senators—Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Brian Schaatz of Hawaii, Cory Booker of New Jersey—were seen as potential contenders to replace Schumer as majority leader. But in the days that followed, none raised their hand.
数学计算站在舒默这边。虽然当选参议员、堪萨斯州的亚当·汉密尔顿、缅因州的特洛伊·杰克逊、密歇根州的阿卜杜勒·赛义德都在竞选途中表示不会支持舒默，但这还不足以形成一个足以终结其持续领导地位的集团。其他当选参议员如伊利诺伊州的朱莉安娜·斯特拉顿、明尼苏达州的佩吉·弗拉纳根、新罕布什尔州的克里斯·帕帕斯、得克萨斯州的詹姆斯·塔拉里科，几个月来一直在回避舒默问题。
The math is just on Schumer’s side. While Sens.-elect Adam Hamilton of Kansas, Troy Jackson of Maine, and Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan all said on the campaign trail that they would not back Schumer, that’s not a sizable enough bloc to end his continued leadership. Other incoming Senators like Juliana Stratton of Illinois, Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota, Chris Pappas of New Hampshire, and James Talarico of Texas have sidestepped the Schumer question for months.
舒默只需要其党团的简单多数即可从少数党领袖晋升为多数党领袖——这与成为众议院议长需要全院投票多数不同。党团内其他成员多是舒默的长期盟友。过去二十年里，他以铁腕手段掌管参议院民主党竞选机构，为党内候选人直接或间接通过竞选委员会及盟友超级政治行动委员会筹集数十亿美元资金，这让他手握大量可兑现的政治筹码。
Schumer only needs a bare majority of his caucus to move from minority leader to majority leader—not a majority of the voting chamber as is needed to become House Speaker. And other members of the caucus are longtime Schumer allies. Many owe him favors related to his running Senate Democrats’ campaign arm with a vise-like grip for the last two decades. Raising billions for party candidates—either directly or indirectly through campaign committees and an aligned super PAC—gives him plenty of chits to call in.
对于来自党内基本盘的批评，乃至即将成为其同僚的候选人的异议，舒默盟友并不在意。他在北卡罗来纳州、俄亥俄州和爱荷华州实现重大招募突破——这些席位均由民主党翻红，助力该党夺得多数优势。缅因州、密歇根州和堪萨斯州的胜利则进一步扩大了党内优势。密西西比州和阿拉斯加州的竞选仍在计票中，结果可能进一步增强民主党实力。
Schumer allies are not sweating the criticism from the party’s base, or even the dissent coming from candidates who are about to become his colleagues. He landed major recruiting coups in North Carolina, Ohio, and Iowa—all Democratic pickups that helped the party secure a majority. Other wins in Maine, Michigan, and Kansas padded the party’s margins. Votes were still being counted in races in Mississippi and Alaska that could further expand Democrats’ power.
自由派组织“不可分割”源自希拉里·克林顿2016年总统竞选失利后的废墟，本周成为首批公开呼吁舒默让位或被推翻的组织之一。“昨日，选民明确表明他们想要新一代民主党斗士，”该组织本周发文称。“我们需要一位能够领导这场斗争的参议院领袖。参议院民主党人该选出新领导层了。”其他进步团体也发表了类似声明。但目前尚无参议院民主党人自荐竞逐该职位。
Indivisible, the liberal group that emerged from the ashes of Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 presidential bid, became one of the first organizations this week to openly call for Schumer to step aside or be deposed. “Yesterday, voters made it very clear that they want a new generation of Democratic fighters,” the group posted this week. “We need a Leader in the Senate who is capable of leading that fight. It’s time for Senate Democrats to choose new leadership.”Other progressive groups have put out similar statements. None have a Senate Democrat volunteering for the position.
舒默对批评不予理会。“问题不在我身上，”舒默周三表示，“我将再次当选为多数党领袖，但问题的关键在于关注美国民众及其诉求。”早在选举日之前，随着关于民主党重夺参议院控制权的讨论升温，一种折中方案开始在党内流传：允许舒默继续担任领袖，前提是他承诺在两年后任期结束时退休。这样这位75岁的民主党人便可功成身退，将席位让给新人——如果纽约州众议员亚历山德拉·奥卡西奥-科尔特斯选择留在国会而非在2028年竞选总统，这位进步派明星、同样来自纽约的议员便有可能接任。
Schumer has brushed off the criticism. "The issue is not me," Schumer said Wednesday. "I'll be re-elected as Majority Leader, but the issue is focusing on the American people and what they want." Well before Election Day, amid talk about Democrats regaining the Senate, a compromise idea began floating around: allow Schumer to remain Leader with the understanding he’ll retire when his term ends in two years. That would allow the 75-year-old Democrat to go out on top and cede the seat to someone new, potentially Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive star and fellow New Yorker, if she chooses to stay in Congress rather than seek the White House in 2028.
到目前为止，舒默尚未表明这是否为他的计划。无论哪种情况，舒默都精于计算票数。而就目前而言，数字站在他这边。
So far, Schumer has not said if that’s his plan. Either way, Schumer knows how to count. And the numbers, at least for now, are in his column.