Chuck Schumer thought his position as Senate Minority Leader was secure.
But the longtime Democrat is learning that nothing lasts forever in politics.
And Chuck Schumer just got devastating news that could end his career.
AOC crushes Schumer in hypothetical primary matchup
The political ground is shifting beneath Chuck Schumer’s feet in a way he never saw coming.
A new poll delivered a brutal reality check to the 74-year-old senator who has held his New York seat for over two decades.
Multiple polls have revealed that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would demolish Schumer in a hypothetical 2028 Democratic primary.
The most recent Honan Strategy Group survey, conducted May 15-18 for the Jewish Voters Action Network, shows AOC leading by a crushing 21-point margin, 54 percent to 33 percent among likely Democratic voters in New York City.
A separate Data for Progress poll from March found similar results, with Ocasio-Cortez leading Schumer by 19 points statewide among New York Democratic primary voters.
These aren’t fringe polls with questionable methodology either.
The Honan Strategy Group survey of 1,136 Democrats carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2.89 percentage points, making these results statistically significant and politically explosive.
For a politician who has built his career on reading the political winds, Schumer appears to have completely missed the hurricane heading his way.
Schumer’s approval ratings crater as Trump’s rise
The timing of this polling disaster couldn’t be worse for Schumer.
His approval ratings have nosedived just as President Donald Trump has returned to office with a renewed mandate from the American people.
A CNN poll released in late April showed Schumer with a pathetic 17 percent favorable rating and 44 percent unfavorable – his worst showing in CNN polling since 2017.
Among his own party, the numbers are equally brutal.
Democratic and Democrat-leaning independents gave Schumer just 31 percent favorable and 30 percent unfavorable ratings, a massive drop from 46 percent favorable and 11 percent unfavorable in January.
The collapse is particularly pronounced among younger Democrats, where only 14 percent of those under age 35 have a favorable view of Schumer.
When CNN’s Manu Raju confronted Schumer about these dismal numbers, the senator tried to brush them off.
“There was a poll out today that has your approval rating lower than any other congressional leader, at 17 percent. Are you concerned that you may be a liability for your party?” Raju asked.
“Polls come and go. Our party is united,” Schumer replied, also commenting on the Democratic Party having “real success.”
But you can’t spin away numbers this catastrophic.
AOC’s star continues to rise as Schumer’s falls
While Schumer’s political fortunes crater, AOC’s influence and popularity continue to grow.
The 35-year-old congresswoman now stands at 47 percent favorable and 33 percent unfavorable among New York State Democratic voters according to a Siena College poll.
That’s a significant improvement from her 38-39 percent ratings four years ago.
Among Democrats specifically, a commanding 64 percent view AOC favorably – a number that dwarfs both Schumer and Governor Kathy Hochul.
Perhaps most surprising is AOC’s strength among Jewish Democratic voters, where she leads Schumer 45 percent to 33 percent, with 17 percent undecided.
This is particularly notable given AOC’s harsh criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which she has controversially labeled a “genocide.”
Schumer, who is Jewish and the highest-ranking Jewish official in the United States, has faced criticism for his own mishandling of antisemitism issues following the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks.
The longtime Israel supporter created controversy when he said on the Senate floor in 2024 that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was an “obstacle to peace” while calling for elections to replace the Israeli leader.
“At this critical juncture, I believe a new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel,” Schumer stated.
Democrats’ anti-Trump strategy backfires spectacularly
Schumer’s political decline coincides with the complete failure of the Democratic Party’s anti-Trump messaging strategy.
In a mid-March interview, Schumer revealed his plan to undermine Trump’s presidency through relentless opposition.
“The last time he was president, which is the closest experience we have with him — and admittedly, the world has changed some, particularly on the media side, how it works — we kept pushing and pushing and pushing and chipping away,” Schumer explained. “And when he went below 40 percent in the polls, the Republican legislators started working with us. He was at 51. He’s now at 48. We’re gonna keep at it until he goes below 40.”
But Schumer’s strategy has backfired completely.
Trump’s approval numbers are rising again after a brief dip during tariff discussions, with his approval among Hispanic voters sitting at 60 percent despite Democratic opposition to his border security and deportation policies.
Meanwhile, Schumer recently joined Rep. Maxine Waters and other Democrats in protests against Trump and DOGE advisor Elon Musk, with supporters chanting “we will win.”
The optics of a 74-year-old Senate leader reduced to street protests while his approval ratings collapse tells the story of a politician who has lost touch with political reality.
The progressive wing prepares to take over
AOC has been touring the country with socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, holding rallies to mobilize voters and “fight oligarchy.”
Their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour since March has been pulling in large crowds of supporters, quickly establishing Sanders and AOC as the faces of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
Talk of a 2028 primary challenge against Schumer continues to advance, though AOC has not formally announced her bid to oust the longtime senator.
But the writing is clearly on the wall.
The Democratic Party’s base is moving left, and Schumer represents the old guard that younger progressives want to replace.
His attempts to play both sides – supporting Israel while trying to appease the anti-Israel wing of his party – have satisfied no one.
The anti-Trump messaging that Schumer has championed has failed to damage Trump’s approval ratings while sinking Democrats’ own numbers.
Chuck Schumer built his career on being a savvy political operator who could read the room and position himself for success.
But these devastating poll numbers suggest his political instincts have finally failed him when he needed them most.
