New York veteran lawmaker Charles Schumer is seeking a fifth term in the Senate.

This time, he has a powerful title to his name: Majority Leader.

It’s a job, he argues, that gives him more leverage and clout, enhancing his ability to deliver for folks back home.


What You Need To Know

  • Sen. Schumer became majority leader in Jan. 2021, and has faced the delicate task of leading an evenly-split Senate

  • Schumer has managed to legislatively get numerous points on the board, both on a bipartisan basis and with Democrats going it alone: infrastructure, CHIPS, and the Inflation Reduction Act, among others

  • He admits that if Republicans win control of the House in the midterms, getting his wish list passed is going to be harder. But he says he will keep pushing

The senator is facing off against Republican Joe Pinion, a political commentator and businessman.

Schumer first learned he was on the cusp of becoming the next majority leader on Jan. 6, 2021, after Democrats won two runoff Senate elections in Georgia.

That news, however, was quickly eclipsed by chaos, as a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, trying to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential victory.

“I have never lived through or even imagined an experience like the one we have just witnessed in this Capitol,” Schumer said hours after the attack.

In the politically fraught year and a half since, Schumer has faced the delicate task of leading a Senate split evenly.

Schumer has managed to get numerous points on the board, shepherding bills that Democrats passed without Republican support, such as another round of COVID-19 relief.

He also secured bipartisan approval of gun safety reforms, the first such overhaul in decades, and investments in America’s semiconductor industry and infrastructure.

“There’s a load of money for the MTA, over $10 billion dollars. In addition, there’s money to build Gateway, to complete 2nd Ave subways,” Schumer told reporters last year, as Congress advanced the infrastructure law.

One item proved a challenge: Biden’s Build Back Better agenda.

The bill appeared dead frequently, as two moderate Senate Democrats repeatedly balked.

Schumer kept at it and surprised Washington by negotiating a deal that all 50 members of the Senate Democratic caucus could agree to: a slimmed down bill that passed under a new name, the Inflation Reduction Act.

“Did we have some setbacks? Yes. But did we persist and overcome those setbacks? Absolutely,” Schumer said recently, reflecting on his tenure so far as majority leader.

Schumer is known for being in constant touch with his fellow Democrats, often pulling out his flip phone to emphasize the point.

If Schumer wins re-election and Democrats maintain control of the Senate. He is poised to stay on in that leadership job.

So, what are his goals for another term?

“Helping families, helping people with the child care problem… going further on climate change,” he said.

Schumer admits that if Republicans win control of the House in the midterms, getting his wish list passed is going to be harder. But he says he will keep pushing.

Pinion has labeled Schumer as a “dinosaur” and sought to blame Democrats for inflation and crime.

When Schumer was asked about this, he said, “Every time I run for office, I do my best for New York. And it all works out okay.”