Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin indicated Thursday that Democrats may need a generational reset at the top, suggesting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer should consider making way for new leadership.
Appearing on SiriusXM’s “Straight Shooter with Stephen A,” Slotkin, a Democrat, said the party still has not “fully recovered” from being “soundly defeated in 2024” — remarks that pointed criticism toward Schumer (D-NY) and Jeffries (D-NY).
“To me, the lesson was simple. Democrats had too many priorities. They tried to make everyone happy and answer every question. When you prioritize everything, no one knows what you actually stand for,” Slotkin told Stephen A. Smith.
By comparison, she said, “Donald Trump came in with one clear message. He said, ‘I’m going to make your life more affordable. I’m going to put more money in your pocket’. … He won because he kept his message simple and focused on the issue Americans cared most about.”
Slotkin expressed frustration that, even a year and a half after Trump’s presidential election win, Democrats remain locked in daily internal arguments over how to move forward.
“That’s why I believe we need significant new leadership,” she said. “The old models are no longer working, and that includes the Democratic Party.”
She compared the party’s current posture to a “circular firing squad,” saying that while “everyone is reacting to the crisis,” not enough Democrats are clearly explaining what they want to achieve.
“To me, that’s a fundamental failure of leadership,” Slotkin said.
Smith pressed Slotkin on whether she was calling on Jeffries and Schumer to be replaced.
“I’m saying that if people can’t recognize that the game has fundamentally changed and can’t adapt, then they need to make room for others who can,” she responded.
Reps for Schumer and Jeffries did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
