Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, would not give his endorsement to Rep. Eliot Engel as the New York Democrat faces off against a primary candidate.
“I haven’t endorsed in that race,” Schumer told reporters during his weekly press conference. “I’m busy with Senate races.”
When pressed if he would eventually endorse Engel, a lawmaker he has routinely endorsed in the past, Schumer deflected, saying again his focus was on the upper chamber’s campaigns.
“He is taking no risks,” New York Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf told the Washington Examiner.
Another New York City-based consultant agreed, telling the Washington Examiner, “He is afraid of an AOC primary in 2022,” which President Trump routinely jabs.
Back in January, Schumer surprised many Democrats by voting against the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement trade deal, saying it did not address climate change, but a trade lobbyist told the Atlantic there is suspicion he voted against it because “he sees AOC over his shoulder at all times, apparently.”
Regarding her intentions for running against Schumer in 2022, she told Politico that she did not know, saying, “Honestly, this news cycle is so insane who knows where any of us are going to be in 2022.”
The New York senator’s political cautiousness with Ocasio-Cortez, though, is costing Engel during a tough reelection primary battle. Engel will face-off against Jamaal Bowman, a public school principal endorsed by both Ocasio-Cortez and independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on June 23.
Although the New York congressman, who has served in the House since 1989, has the endorsement of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, he found himself struggling to explain a candid remark he made on a “hot mic” last week about only seeking media attention at a local event in his district related to the police protests only because of his primary.
Engel represents New York’s 16th Congressional District, which stretches from parts of the northwest Bronx, including Eastchester and Fieldston, through suburban areas located in southern Westchester County. The district also includes Mt. Vernon into Ardsley, New Rochelle, Larchmont, Scarsdale, and Tuckahoe, among other suburban commuter towns north of New York City.
