Chuck Schumer wants Democrats to retake the US Senate in 2020.
But he’s got his work cut out for him.
And now, things just went from bad to worse for Schumer thanks to one explosive announcement.
Chuck Schumer was livid when Democrats not only failed to retake the US Senate in 2018, but actually lost seats.
Democrats were supposed to sweep all congressional seats in that midterm election, and while they managed to retake the House of Representatives and reinstall Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House, Chuck Schumer’s defeat in the Senate marked a serious setback for Democrats.
With the 2020 elections looming on the horizon however, Schumer and the entire Democratic party are hopeful that they can retake the upper chamber and either ram through Democratic-backed legislation if President Trump is defeated, or obstruct the President’s agenda if Trump is re-elected.
At least, they were hopeful.
2019 has largely been a string of disappointing news for Senate Democrats however, who have seen their chances of retaking the Senate plummet from the start of the year.
Numerous high-profile Democratic candidates that Schumer had been recruiting to run in seats Democrats desperately need to win in order to retake the Senate in 2020 have passed up on the opportunity, including Montana Governor Steve Bullock, and 2018 Georgia Gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.
Bullock opted to forgo a shot at the US Senate to instead pursue a presidential campaign, while Abrams has ruled out a race for Senate of her own in favor of mulling over a bid for the White House as well.
These decisions and more across the country have left Schumer in a terrible position, as the Senate Minority Leader struggles to find top-tier candidates to take on critical Democratic Senate targets next year.
Instead, the US Senate map is expanding in the opposite direction, with seats Democrats once thought would be safe now appearing to be emerging as toss-ups.
And with the latest announcement that John James – a 2018 GOP Senate candidate in Michigan who narrowly lost his bid in a race that many predicted wouldn’t be close – is running for the US Senate again in 2020, Schumer is now dealing with a major blow to Democratic efforts to retake the upper chamber next year.
The Daily Caller reports, “Republican politician John James will launch another bid for one of Michigan’s U.S. Senate seats in 2020, the combat veteran announced Thursday.
The 37-year-old Army veteran officially announced his intentions during an appearance on ‘Fox and Friends’ Thursday morning. If he wins the Republican nomination, James will likely challenge Democratic Sen. Gary Peters for Michigan’s Class II Senate seat.”
“James lost a closer-than-anticipated race to long-time Democratic Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow in November 2018 for the state’s Class I seat and is considered a rising star on the Right. Now, James will look to become Stabenow’s colleague in the Senate,” adds the Daily Caller.
With the map expanding in favor of the Republicans ahead of the 2020 elections, the odds that Schumer will find himself Majority Leader come January 2021 seem slimmer than ever.
We will keep you up to date with any new developments in this ongoing story.
