Kansas senator-elect won't back Chuck Schumer for Senate majority leader

Jay Stahl, USA TODAYSun, November 8, 2026 at 7:05 PM UTC

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Kansas Sen.-elect Adam Hamilton is among the Democrats who will not vote for current Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to lead the Democratic majority come January, calling him "polarizing."

During a Nov. 8 interview on "Meet the Press," the pastor, who leads the nation's largest Methodist church Resurrection, signaled that he would not vote for the New York lawmaker to oversee the Senate once Democrats take the majority next year.

"I mean no disrespect for Chuck Schumer. I just really don't, and I've told him that as well. But I think, at least where I live in Kansas, he is kind of a polarizing figure," Hamilton said.

The senator-elect said that his opponent, incumbent Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, mentioned Schumer far more than he mentioned the faith leader during their two debates. Many Kansans "perceive him to be further to the left and somebody who is a divisive figure," Hamilton argued.

USA TODAY reached out to Schumer's office for comment.

Hamilton, the first Kansas Democrat elected to the Senate in nearly 100 years, said he believes the Senate needs a unifying force.

"What I'm looking for is a leader who can lead from the center," Hamilton said. "Somebody who can bring Republicans and Democrats together, somebody who can bring the various factions in the Democratic Party together. Somebody with fresh ideas."

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Hamilton isn't the only Democratic figure breaking with Schumer.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Michigan, suggested that she may challenge Schumer during an appearance at Crooked Con, a progressive media event founded by former aides to President Barack Obama.

Slotkin won't rule out challenging Schumer for Senate majority leader

“I’ve been very vocal that we need a new generation of leadership. We couldn't have gotten a clearer signal than Tuesday," Slotkin said, referencing Democrats' sweeping victories on Election Day.

A progressive group of fellow freshmen who are left of Hamilton's center are also opposed to Schumer as leader.

For example, Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, both senators-elect, vowed not to support Schumer as well as Troy Jackson in Maine and Michigan's Abdul El-Sayed.

Contributing: Emily Condon

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kansas senator-elect won't back Chuck Schumer for Senate majority leader

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