参议员伯尼·桑德斯（I-Vt.）和参议员埃莉莎·斯洛特金（D-Mich.）表示，他们不会支持参议员查克·舒默（D-N.Y.）担任即将上任的参议院民主党多数党领袖。桑德斯是前总统候选人，也是参议院进步派的领袖，他说舒默在结束收入和财富不平等方面做得还不够。“我不想谈具体提案，但我认为，当这个国家的收入和财富不平等比历史上任何时候都严重，当我们的年轻一代生活水平低于他们的父母时，现在正是时候，要打造一个为所有人服务的经济，而不仅仅是为顶层的人服务，”桑德斯在回答关于舒默的问题时说。
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) said they won’t be supporting Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) as leader of the incoming Democratic majority in the Senate. Sanders, a former presidential candidate and leader of progressives in the Senate, said Schumer had not been doing enough to end income and wealth inequality. “I don't want to get into specific proposals, but I think the time and the moment when you have more income and wealth inequality than we've ever had in the history of this country, when our younger generation were on the lowest standard of living than their parents, the time is now to deal with the need to create an economy that works for all, not just the people on top,” Sanders said in response to a question about Schumer.
“我认为查克是否朝着那个方向领导了？不。”他说。斯洛特金在同一场新闻发布会上说，她正在“寻求变革”。她呼吁任何领导人都要制定一项计划，说明他们将如何处理人工智能等问题，涵盖头100天及以后的时间。她呼吁同事们，如果只有一位候选人，就应在这样的计划出台之前，对领袖投票拒绝出席法定人数。“我们需要能够为整个党团治理的领导，为蓝州、摇摆州和红州的人们治理，”斯洛特金说，一些人认为她是2028年总统选举的可能候选人。
“Do I think Chuck has been leading in that direction? No.” he said. Slotkin, at the same press conference, said she was "seeking change." She is calling for any leader to put out a plan of what they would do with the first 100 days and beyond on issues like artificial intelligence. She called for her colleagues to withhold quorum on a leader vote, if there is only one candidate, until such a plan materializes. “We need leadership that’s going to govern for the entirety of the caucus, for folks from blue states, purple states and red states,” said Slotkin, who is seen by some as a possible presidential candidate in 2028.
桑德斯说，他和斯洛特金刚刚结束与舒默的会面，现任少数党领袖阐述了一些此类计划的想法，但桑德斯说这还不够。两人都表示，他们希望看到一场有竞争力的领袖选举。这一宣布是在参议院民主党人正在酝酿是否重新任命舒默，还是支持挑战者之际发布的。舒默一直表示，他有信心获胜，其他民主党人也是如此，但进步派团体和一些即将就职的新参议员已呼吁更换领导层。
Sanders said he and Slotkin had just come from a meeting with Schumer where the current minority leader articulated some ideas for such plans, but Sanders said that did not go far enough. Both said they hoped for a competitive leader election. The announcement comes as Senate Democrats are brewing over whether to reappoint Schumer or back a challenger. Schumer has maintained that he is confident he will win, as have other Democrats, but progressive groups and some incoming freshmen senators have called for new leadership.
参议员参议员克里斯·范·霍伦（民主党-马里兰州）被视为一名潜在挑战者，他在过去几天里对是否参选反复无常。他周一晚间表示，在听到许多人希望他参选后，他目前处于“倾听模式”，考虑是否参选。斯洛特金说，她和范·霍伦周一进行了一次“非常有成效的谈话”，但拒绝直接支持他，重申她希望任何候选人都拿出具体且不同的治理计划。
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) is seen as one potential challenger, and he has flip-flopped on a run in recent days. He said Monday night that he is “in listening mode” on whether to run after hearing from many people who want him to do so. Slotkin said she and Van Hollen had “a really productive conversation” on Monday but declined to directly endorse him, repeating that she wants a concrete and different governing plan from any candidate.
她批评党团自她进入参议院两年以来，没有表达出更多关于如何治理以及该做什么的计划。“我承认我昨天与范·霍伦参议员进行了交谈，因为我有自己的观点，”斯洛特金说。“我坐在那个房间里，试图弄清楚我们的计划是什么，持续了两年，我想也许是因为我来自国家安全背景，如果你不能说明你们要去哪里，就不能领导人们，当你在少数党时这可能是一回事，但现在这是你的责任，要交付成果，那就完全不同了。”
She criticized the caucus for not having expressed more of a plan of how to govern and what to do in the two years since she entered the Senate. “I acknowledge that I had conversations with Senator Van Hollen yesterday because I have a point of view,” Slotkin said. “I've sat in that room and tried to figure out what our plan was for two years, and I think maybe it's because I come from a national security background, you can't lead people if you can't lay out where you're going, and it may be one thing when you're in the minority, but it's very different when it's now your responsibility to deliver.”
对舒默的冷淡情绪包括一些新当选的参议院民主党人。参议员当选人阿卜杜勒·埃尔赛义德（民主党-密歇根州）本周早些时候再次表示，他会支持范·霍伦而非舒默。参议员当选人安妮·安德鲁斯（民主党-南卡罗来纳州）周五表示，她希望参议院领导层出现“代际更替”，此前她在竞选期间承诺不支持舒默。参议员当选人亚当·汉密尔顿（民主党-堪萨斯州）和特洛伊·杰克逊（民主党-缅因州）也表示了同样的看法。
The lukewarm sentiment on Schumer includes some of the incoming crop of Senate Democrats. Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed (D-Mich.) said again earlier this week he would back Van Hollen over Schumer. Sen.-elect Annie Andrews (D-S.C.) said Friday that she wants “generational change” in Senate leadership, after pledging during the campaign not to support Schumer. Sens.-elect Adam Hamilton (D-Kansas) and Troy Jackson (D-Maine) have said the same.
党内其他知名人士也拒绝支持舒默，包括纽约州众议员亚历山德拉·奥卡西奥-科尔特兹（民主党），她周二表示，舒默的未来由参议院决定，但重申对新领导层的呼吁“是在很多地方都能看到的一种情绪”。奥卡西奥-科尔特兹对舒默当选领袖没有表决权，但她代表了党内更年轻、更进步的派别，其中许多人希望她在2028年挑战舒默的参议院席位。
Other prominent voices in the party have declined to give Schumer their support, including fellow New Yorker Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D), who said Tuesday that Schumer’s future is up to the Senate but reiterated that the calls for new leadership “are a sentiment that is seen in a lot of places.”Ocasio-Cortez does not have a say in Schumer’s election as leader but does represent a younger and more progressive wing of the party, many of whom want her to challenge Schumer for his Senate seat in 2028.
但尽管要求换人的呼声日益高涨，目前尚无候选人站出来挑战领导民主党近十年的舒默。舒默被认为对民主党的压倒性胜利负有一定责任，因为他招募并支持了获胜的候选人。
But despite the mounting calls for someone different, no candidate has stepped forward yet to challenge Schumer, who has led Democrats for nearly a decade. Schumer is seen as being somewhat responsible for Democrats’ sweeping victory thanks to his recruitment of and support for winning candidates.