Sen. Raphael Warnock won’t commit to Chuck Schumer as Democratic leader

The Georgia senator says he’s open to hearing from other candidates as Democrats debate who should lead their newly won Senate majority.

Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) isn’t immediately throwing his name behind Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for Senate Majority Leader.

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Warnock admitted that numerous Democrats had put their names in for a chance to become the party’s next majority leader, but said he didn’t have a full scope of who else was running beyond Schumer.

“I think we’re at an inflection point in our country,” Warnock told reporters on Tuesday. “Voters are demanding that we stand up and fight for them; and so any member of my caucus that feels like they should lead in this moment, I look forward to hearing their case.”

Warnock’s remarks were similar to those he made during a Monday appearance on “The Breakfast Club” when he declined to answer questions about supporting Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Jeffries has already informed Democratic lawmakers that he is vying for the Speaker’s gavel, despite calls for someone else in the party to run against him.

“That’s a conversation we need to have and we’ll continue to have inside the caucus,” Warnock told Charlamagne Tha God when asked if Democratic leadership understood voters’ demands as evident by Dems’ historic victory in the midterms. “In terms of leadership, I’m open to hearing whoever in the caucus thinks they should lead in this moment. I want to hear that vision, but it has to center concerns of ordinary people. It can’t be about Beltway politics. It’s about how we actually deliver to the people.”

Schumer has said he is confident he will be reelected majority leader in the chamber, despite numerous lawmakers, including Sen.-elect Juliana Stratton (D-IL), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), publicly stating they would not back him.

During a joint press conference on Tuesday, Sanders stated he had a deep respect for Schumer but underscored that change was needed at the top of Democratic leadership.

“Nobody works harder than Chuck Schumer, but in my view, the time is now for change, and I will not be supporting Chuck to be reelected as the Democratic leader,” Sanders said.