One of the first things that congressional Democrats will do in the wake of the midterm elections is to select their candidates for the next Speaker of the House and new Majority Leader in the Senate. This selection will be an initial test of whether our Democratic representatives truly understand what the American people are asking of them.
Because majority leaders determine what Congress prioritizes for the next two years, the party should elect leaders who reflect the values of their constituents and the mandate just handed to them by voters.
As minority leader in the Senate during the first two years of the Trump administration, Chuck Schumer did not exhibit the strong leadership needed to effectively unite Democratic senators in opposition to the Trump regime, and there is considerable doubt that he will be any more effective as majority leader. His first announcements after the election suggest that he sees the outcome as an opportunity to return to “business as usual,” completely missing the message from voters. We need leaders who will reassert constitutional congressional authority and use their budgetary and investigatory powers to rein in Trump’s abuse of executive authority, to end the corruption and misappropriation of taxpayer dollars, and to drive corporate money out of politics.
Most news media take it for granted that Schumer will be anointed as the next majority leader, and in the absence of strong objections from outside the Democratic establishment that is likely to be the case. It will take public pressure on our senators to challenge the status quo, to demand new leadership, and to hold an open, transparent election to determine who will lead the Senate in 2027.
Indivisible Santa Barbara asks that you reach out to our senators, Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, asking them to abide by the change the American people voted for. “We the people” clearly made our voices heard: we want a major reset.
