CNN’s Harry Enten revealed that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is the “least popular” Democratic Senate leader since 1985, following backlash after several Democrats cut a deal to end the government shutdown.
“I think the word of the day is terrible. Terrible, terrible, terrible, to quote another Charles, Charles Barkley, when it comes to Chuck Schumer,” said Enten on Tuesday.
After moderate Democrats agreed to reopen the government without securing an extension on health care subsidies, lawmakers such as Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) declared that Schumer — who voted against the deal — was “no longer effective” while Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) called for “new leadership,” too.
Schumer has vowed to “keep fighting” ahead of a vote — as promised to Democrats by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) — on extending the soon-to-expire subsidies.
On Tuesday, Enten turned to recent Pew Research Center/FiveThirtyEight polling that shows Schumer’s net popularity at -4 percentage points among Democrats and those leaning toward the party.
