Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer endorsed 16-term New York Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel Wednesday for another term in Congress. Engel is facing a tough primary challenge from an opponent backed by Democratic liberals.
“I have a longtime, close friendship with Eliot Engel and have worked with him on many issues. From taking on Donald Trump, to standing up for women’s right to choose to expanding affordable health care, to fighting for civil and human rights, Eliot Engel has been a strong and effective fighter for the people of his district and all Americans — and I am proud to endorse him,” Schumer said in a statement first reported by Jewish Insider.
Schumer, when first asked at a press conference on June 9 if he would endorse Engel, hesitated. Schumer, who is also a New York Democrat, told reporters, “I haven’t endorsed in that race,” adding, “I’m busy with Senate races.”
The endorsement comes on the heels of left-leaning polling outfit Data for Progress releasing a survey Wednesday showing Bowman with a 10-point lead over Engel.
The New York primary, scheduled for Tuesday, has Engel up against Jamaal Bowman, a public school principal endorsed by New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Schumer’s initial hesitation was attributed to the senator being “afraid of an AOC primary in 2022,” a New York City-based consultant told the Washington Examiner.
Engel, 73, recently was able to round up a slew of endorsements from Democrats in key leadership posts, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff.
Engel, who represents southern Westchester County and the northwest Bronx, also scooped up the endorsement of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who lives in the nearby district represented by New York Democratic Rep. Nita Lowey.
