Dem Caucus Still Reeling from Schumer’s Shutdown Switcheroo, Divided on Strategy

‘There are a lot of free riders in my caucus,’ Senator Fetterman said.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) speaks with reporters following the Senate Democrats’ weekly policy lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., March 11, 2025.

Nathan Howard/Reuters

Congressional leaders have different ways of approaching their jobs when they’re in the majority, as opposed to when they’re in the minority. Few people know this better than Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.), the upper chamber’s highest-ranking official who served as Senate minority whip for Republicans last Congress.

Right now, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) is “trying to figure out what’s the best message, communication strategy to give his team the best chance of succeeding in the next election,” Thune said in a wide-ranging interview for this month’s issue of National Review magazine. “Because obviously this last one didn’t go well for them, and it seems like they’re really struggling with that right now.”

Audrey Fahlberg

About the Author

Audrey Fahlberg

Audrey Fahlberg was a politics reporter for National Review.

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