Good-luck Chuck is getting a second chance.
Just days ago, Sen. Chuck Schumer ranked among New York’s least popular politicians. Now, after a sweeping Democratic midterm victory, he is positioned for another turn in party leadership.
Schumer is expected to be selected as Senate majority leader next year after Democrats reclaimed control of both the upper chamber and the House of Representatives in a stunning rebuke of Trump.
The senior Empire State senator, who previously served as majority leader in 2021 under President Joe Biden, said he plans to deliver major wins for New York in the next congressional session.
“Helping New York has always been my North Star. And now we have a real chance to deliver that help with the majority,” Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in the US government, told The Post.
The prospect marks a striking turnaround for the Brooklyn-born politician. Republicans have long made him a favorite target, while frustrated liberals have recently criticized him for not taking a more aggressive stance against the Trump administration.
Schumer’s standing in New York fell to a historic low, largely because Democrats and independents alike became frustrated that he was not doing enough to challenge Trump and the Republicans who controlled both chambers of Congress after the 2024 elections.
Just 32% of New York voters viewed him favorably last November, his lowest rating in 21 years of polling by Siena University.
In May of this year, Siena found that 33% of New York voters viewed Schumer favorably, compared with 52% who held an unfavorable opinion. Among Democrats, 40% viewed him negatively.
He also posted the lowest approval rating of any major US political leader included in the national polling.
The RealClearPolitics average of national surveys showed that only 25% of Americans viewed Schumer favorably, while 49% viewed him unfavorably.
Schumer, 75, is up for reelection in 2028. Some left-wing Democrats have openly discussed challenging him in a primary if he seeks another term, while Democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has explored potential bids for president or the Senate.
But Schumer’s political fortunes have improved since last week. He and fellow New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, chairwoman of the Senate Democratic Committee, received credit for helping design the party’s winning strategy.
Democrats won more than 55 seats in last week’s election, securing a strong majority and creating the first meaningful check on Trump’s second administration. The party’s congressional comeback could also improve voters’ views of Schumer, political insiders said.
“Being the majority leader changes everything. He has a lot of power,” said former Republican Sen. Al D’Amato, whom Schumer defeated a generation ago.
“If he is an effective leader, he will be able to run for reelection. Nobody will primary him. Chuck is a smart guy. He understands politics inside and out.”
New York State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs said Schumer deserved credit for recruiting candidates who flipped seats from Republican to Democratic control and helped restore the party’s majority.
Voters, he added, tend to rally behind successful politicians.
“Nobody can argue with the results. You have to give Chuck Schumer credit. He deserves it,” Jacobs said.
“He did the impossible. He built a Democratic majority. New York voters will recognize that, and the polls will reflect it.”
Schumer has “earned the support” needed to seek and win a sixth Senate term, the state party chairman said.
Jacobs said he understood the anger among some Democrats since Trump returned to the White House, but argued that directing that frustration at Schumer was unfair, particularly while Democrats were in the minority.
“Opposing the president from the minority is a difficult job,” he said.
Schumer could also benefit politically from being able to direct more federal funding toward major New York projects, including initiatives supported by Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
His election as Senate leader could create an all-New York congressional leadership team in Washington, sources noted.
Fellow Brooklynite Hakeem Jeffries is also expected to be chosen by House Democrats as the chamber’s first Black speaker, while native New Yorker Trump is set to remain president for two more years, through the end of his second term.
“Chuck Schumer — whether you like him or love him — is New York. If Zohran is smart, and maybe he is, he should work with Schumer. He has been every mayor’s best weapon. He delivers,” a New York Democratic Party source said.
Still, Schumer has spent his entire adult life in politics, and critics say some voters may conclude that, despite his influential position, it is time for a new generation of Democrats to take over.
Several newly elected Democrats and political commentators said the voters behind the blue wave were demanding change rather than a return to the party’s previous leadership.
“The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart recently called for an internal Democratic revolt during an appearance on “The Weekly Show” podcast.
“You have an opportunity to actually govern. Do it. Take it,” Stewart said. “And one of the first things you need to do is eliminate that seniority system from Democratic politics. It is a bulls—t system, and it needs to go.
“They’re already saying, ‘Chuck Schumer deserves a lot of credit for putting together this…’ Chuck Schumer deserves — Chuck Schumer fought tooth and nail against half of these f–king people!” he said of the insurgent Democrats.
“And even if he didn’t, he does not understand the urgency of this moment or what the future requires. I truly believe that.”
The senator has been a fixture in politics since shortly after graduating from Harvard Law School in 1974. He was elected to the state Assembly and then won a House seat in 1980 at age 29.
Schumer represented Brooklyn and Queens in Congress for 18 years before winning election to the Senate in 1998.
The Brooklyn native defeated Republican incumbent D’Amato in a hard-fought campaign and promised to visit all 62 of New York’s counties each year to remain connected with voters across the state.
He says he has kept that promise every year.
