Dems Disagree on Strategy for Senate   03/31 06:21

   Democrats' hopes of reclaiming the U.S. Senate are colliding with a fight 
within their own party.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats' hopes of reclaiming the U.S. Senate are 
colliding with a fight within their own party.

   In Maine, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has thrown his weight behind 
Gov. Janet Mills in a crucial race, but some of his Senate colleagues are 
backing insurgent candidate Graham Platner in a rebuke of his strategic vision. 
A similar dynamic is playing out in other battlegrounds, including Michigan and 
Minnesota, where progressives senators are endorsing non-establishment 
candidates.

   At stake is more than any single race. Democrats are fighting over whether 
the party's traditional playbook still works in a country that elected Donald 
Trump for a second time -- and whether leaders like Schumer should remain in 
charge.

   "Clearly there's a disagreement of strategy here," said New Mexico Sen. 
Martin Heinrich, who has endorsed Platner.

   He added that "the business-as-usual calculation for what is going to be 
successful in a given election cycle does not necessarily, in my view, meet the 
moment."

   The divide reflects a Democratic base frustrated after the last presidential 
election, when President Joe Biden ran for a second term despite widespread 
concerns about his age. He dropped out and endorsed Vice President Kamala 
Harris, who lost to Trump.

   Nan Whaley, a Democratic strategist in Ohio who ran for governor four years 
ago, said the debate is no longer about progressive or moderate.

   "It's really about, who do you trust? Establishment or not establishment," 
she said. "And frankly, the establishment hasn't given us a lot to trust these 
past few years."

   'A rebuke of Schumer'

   In Maine, Schumer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, or DSCC, 
have backed Mills, a 78-year-old moderate in her second term.

   Platner, a veteran and oyster farmer, quickly won the backing of Sen. Bernie 
Sanders, I-Vt., just days after launching his campaign. His bid has since 
gained momentum despite scrutiny over past controversial comments and a tattoo 
resembling a Nazi symbol.

   In recent weeks, Heinrich, Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego and Massachusetts Sen. 
Elizabeth Warren have endorsed Platner as he builds support on Capitol Hill. 
Heinrich and Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse held a fundraiser for him, 
too.

   Gallego, a first-term senator who won a battleground race in 2024, 
downplayed the endorsements as a broader critique of party leadership.

   "Senate leadership didn't back me at the beginning. So I didn't take that as 
a critique," Gallego said.

   Michigan also has a contentious primary, with three high-profile candidates. 
State Sen. Mallory McMorrow has said she would not support Schumer as the 
caucus leader if Democrats regain the majority, and she's been endorsed by four 
senators.

   Abdul El-Sayed, running further to the left, has been endorsed by Sanders 
and has also run on an anti-establishment platform.

   U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens has aligned with establishment figures, working with 
a former DSCC executive director and securing support from two senators.

   Democratic strategist Lis Smith said the endorsements in races like Maine 
and Michigan are "as much as a rebuke of Schumer as it is an endorsement of 
these candidates."

   "It's pretty uncommon for sitting senators to endorse against the Senate 
leader," Smith said. "Senators are reading the tea leaves and are getting 
feedback from the grassroots that they are dissatisfied with Schumer's 
performance as leader."

   In Minnesota, an open-seat race has similarly emerged as a test of the 
party's direction. Rep. Angie Craig is seen as the centrist candidate in the 
primary, with endorsements from House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and 
Rep. Nancy Pelosi. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, the more progressive candidate, has 
been backed by Sanders, Warren and others, including Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith, 
who is vacating the seat.

   "She understands that right now what we need are fierce fighters, people who 
are willing to stand up to the status quo," Smith said in her endorsement.

   'The election may impact' Schumer's time as leader

   Some tensions trace to March 2025, when Schumer voted with Republicans to 
end a government shutdown, drawing backlash from Democrats who argued he did 
not push hard enough against Trump's agenda.

   Later that year, Democrats held firm in a record-long shutdown fight, 
helping regain some ground with activists and progressives. But divisions 
resurfaced when a group of moderates ultimately sided with Republicans, fueling 
renewed frustration with party leadership even as Schumer opposed the move.

   Since he became Senate leader in 2017, Schumer's record in elections has 
been mixed. He led Democrats back to the majority in 2020 and expanded it in 
2022 but lost ground in both 2018 and 2024.

   "Leader Schumer's North Star is taking back the Senate and is pursuing a 
path to do just that," said Allison Biasotti, a spokesperson for Schumer.

   He's recruited high-profile candidates this year in tough Senate races, such 
as Alaska, Ohio and North Carolina. Maeve Coyle, communications director for 
the DSCC, said Schumer "created a path to win a Democratic Senate majority this 
cycle" with the recruitment.

   "Senate Democrats overperformed in the last four election cycles and in 
2026, we will win seats and flip the majority," she added.

   David Axelrod, who served as a top strategist for President Barack Obama, 
said that being Senate leader is never easy, and that Schumer "has been under 
fire for some time, particularly from progressives in the party."

   Schumer's time as leader, Axelrod added, is likely directly linked to the 
outcome of the 2026 midterms.

   "There's questions as to whether he'll run in 2028. There's even questions 
as to whether he might be challenged as leader," he said. "I think the results 
of this election may impact that."

   For now, Schumer's caucus is tentatively standing behind him. None have 
explicitly called for him to step aside. But discontent has lingered, with some 
openly questioning whether the party needs a new direction.

   "How people did politics in the 1990s is going to feel different than in the 
2020s," said Heinrich.