Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) on Monday escalated his campaign against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), declaring that the nine-year Democratic leader should be removed from his post. During a debate against incumbent Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Moulton was asked who should succeed Schumer and responded bluntly: “It should not be Chuck Schumer.”
Moulton, who is challenging Markey in the Massachusetts Democratic primary, has made generational change a central theme of his campaign. He has repeatedly criticized Schumer for what he calls a failure to unite the caucus and stand firm against Republican demands. The debate, held Monday night, gave Moulton a platform to double down on his push for new leadership in the Senate.
When pressed on a potential replacement, Moulton declined to name a candidate, saying, “I’ve made a promise that until I get there, I won’t say who I have in mind.” His remarks come as the party primary is set for September 1, with Moulton trailing Markey in recent polls.
Moulton’s criticism of Schumer dates back to November, when he and eight other House Democrats voiced frustration after Schumer voted with Republicans to pass a stopgap spending measure that ended a record-long government shutdown. At the time, Schumer had vowed there was “no f---ing way” Democrats would cave on demands related to expired Affordable Care Act premium subsidies. His decision to relent drew sharp rebukes from progressives.
Following that vote, Moulton took to social media to argue that Schumer’s leadership was failing. “Tonight is another example of why we need new leadership,” he wrote on X, adding that an effective leader would have held the caucus together to vote “No” and defend healthcare. He also challenged Markey to pledge not to vote for Schumer, writing, “Maybe now @EdMarkey will finally join me in pledging not to vote for Schumer?”
Markey, who has served in the Senate since 2013 and previously in the House for decades, declined to endorse Schumer during the debate, but he has not joined Moulton’s call for ouster. He has consistently maintained a polling edge over Moulton, despite Moulton’s attacks on his age and establishment ties.
Moulton framed his push as part of a broader need for a new direction in the party. “This is not about being critical of age, it’s about the fact that we need new ideas, a new playbook, because a 50-year-old playbook is just not delivering for our country, for Massachusetts,” he said. He added, “We’ve got a second term of Donald Trump, and we need new plans, we need new leadership.”
Markey countered that his experience is an asset, not a liability. “Experience is not the opposite of change. Experience is what you use in order to create change. That is what I have done,” he said at the debate. Polls suggest Democratic voters in Massachusetts largely agree with Markey’s assessment.
The clash between Moulton and Markey reflects a broader generational struggle within the Democratic Party, as younger lawmakers push for a more aggressive stance against Republican priorities. Moulton’s criticism of Schumer has resonated with some progressives, but it remains unclear whether he can translate that into primary support. The party's recent polling gains on key issues may complicate his argument that current leadership is failing.
Moulton’s insistence on new leadership echoes concerns raised by other Democrats about the party’s direction, particularly in the wake of Trump’s return to the White House. As the primary approaches, the question of whether Schumer should remain at the helm is likely to remain a flashpoint, even as progressive primary challenges in other states threaten to reshape the party’s Senate wing.
