Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) just said the quiet part out loud about Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) future when he admitted what other Democrats have been playing coy about following the end of the disastrous Schumer Shutdown.
Speaking to Fox News, Booker was asked about his comments after the House passed the amended continuing resolution that led to the end of the shutdown, in which he wrote that the "Democratic party needs change" and "It needs a new generation of leaders to stand up to [President Donald] Trump."
READ MORE: Watch: Tim Burchett's Hilarious Remarks About Chat He Had With AOC on Running Against Schumer
MORE: Watch Out, Dems: AOC Is Coming for More Than Just Schumer After Shutdown Deal
The reporter then asked if the comments were pointed directly at Schumer, and if Booker felt that the New York senator was "still up for the job."
"Chuck Schumer's generation, Nancy Pelosi's generation, John Lewis's generation. They have so much to be proud of," Booker said. "It is time, though, for new leadership."
Boom, there it is. We will at least give credit to the New Jersey senator who showed more courage when asked about Schumer's future, more so than the likes of New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-14), who refused to call him out when asked if Schumer should stay as minority leader, my RedState colleague Nick Arama reported.
🚨They asked AOC if she still wants to get rid of Chuck Schumer.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) November 12, 2025
"Should Chuck Schumer stay as minority leader?"
Her answer suggests she wants to take down MORE than just Chuck Schumer.
"This problem is bigger than one person..." pic.twitter.com/VcSZPeNxza
"Should Schumer stay as minority leader?" the reporter asked.
"I think what is so important for folks to understand is that this problem is bigger than one person," AOC replied. "And it actually is bigger than the minority leader in the Senate...A leader is a reflection of the party and Senate Democrats have selected their leadership to represent them."
On Friday, Massachusetts Representative Seth Moulton (D-6) said Schumer has proven to be ineffective.
One, Schumer has proven to all of us that he can't keep the team together," Moulton said. "But two, Schumer has also proven to Trump that his strong-arm tactics work. And so until Trump sees a different opponent, he's going to just assume this playbook for the next time a negotiation like this comes up."
Chuck Schumer needs to be replaced as the party's Senate leader, @RepMoulton tells our @DashaBurns on #theconversation.
— POLITICO (@politico) November 14, 2025
Hear more of Moulton’s views on the party’s future and its strategy on health care in this week’s episode — out now: https://t.co/bOmMtu84p1 pic.twitter.com/M944EgYGNi
SEE: Watch: Trump Signs House-Passed, Short-Term CR, Ending the Schumer Shutdown
ALSO: Holy Smokes: Trump Makes Good on Promise to Those Who Worked During Schumer Shutdown
A new CNN poll from the network's data guru, Harry Enten, also proved Schumer's days with the party are likely numbered.
WATCH: CNN's poll shows Chuck Schumer's popularity is at a RECORD LOW for Democrat Senate leaders since 1985, and he's trailing AOC by DOUBLE DIGITS in a potential primary. pic.twitter.com/NdxFyveTxy
— Mercedes Schlapp (@mercedesschlapp) November 13, 2025
Enten said the poll showed that Democrats are feeling "terrible" about Schumer's leadership.
CNN's poll shows Chuck Schumer's popularity is at a RECORD LOW for Democrat Senate leaders since 1985, and he's trailing AOC by DOUBLE DIGITS in a potential primary.
One by one, Dems are starting to say it rather than obfuscating. Schumer's days are done.
My RedState colleague Sister Toldjah reported that the writing was on the wall for Chuck, and things were only going to get worse now that the shutdown is over.
As RedState readers will recall, there were calls in early 2025 for a 2028 primary challenge to Schumer, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) being floated as a formidable contender.
Those calls got louder when Schumer caved on the continuing resolution in March, with things getting so bad for Schumer that he had to postpone book tour dates due to alleged security threats.
While AOC has dodged questions about a Schumer challenge, she hasn't expressly stated that she's ruled one out, either. And after eight Democrats on the Senate side broke ranks to begin the process of ending the Schumer Shutdown, one has to think AOC is giving the idea even more consideration.
Oh, you hate to see it happen, right? Nah.
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