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Chuck Schumer’s long and uneven road to Senate majority leader

By Emily Brooks
Published January 18, 2021 3:27pm ET
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Chuck Schumer’s long and uneven road to Senate majority leader
Senate minority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., left, and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, right, talk and watch election reports on television in a room before a Democratic rally, held at a hotel in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)(NICK WASS/AP) This isn’t how Chuck Schumer imagined he’d end up […]
Charles Schumer, Harry Reid
Senate minority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., left, and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, right, talk and watch election reports on television in a room before a Democratic rally, held at a hotel in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)


This isn’t how Chuck Schumer imagined he’d end up as majority leader, but he’ll take it.

The New York Democrat, like most political pros, saw a path to the Senate majority through 2020 wins in Maine, North Carolina, and other competitive races. But their nominees flopped, with Maine’s Sara Gideon proving no match for veteran GOP Sen. Susan Collins and the candidacy of North Carolina Democratic nominee Cal Cunningham’s imploding in a sex scandal.

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Bernie Sanders Chuck Schumer Elizabeth Warren Joe Biden Joe Manchin Senate Democrats