Newly elected Senate Democrats in the spotlight: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

In today’s edition, Kristen Welker dives into the first big decision facing the class of incoming Democratic senators. Plus, Natasha Korecki explains why the midterm results could make Democrats’ 2028 presidential primary even more unwieldy.

— Adam Wollner

Newly elected Democrats in the spotlight as Senate leadership fight kicks off

Analysis by Kristen Welker

The first battle in the fight for the future of the Democratic Party will come next month, when Senate Democrats choose who their leader will be when they are in the majority next year.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., announced last night that he is challenging Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who has led the Democratic caucus in the chamber for a decade. And all eyes will be on the 13 newly elected Democrats joining the Senate.

Many of the incoming freshman Democrats have been calling for change, but Schumer’s role in recruiting some of them and helping them win their races also looms large. Schumer’s supporters have likened ousting him to firing a baseball manager who just won the World Series.

Two newly elected Democrats — Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan and Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota — have already said that they will support Van Hollen for majority leader. Four others — Maine’s Troy Jackson, South Carolina’s Annie Andrews, Illinois’ Juliana Stratton and Kansas’ Adam Hamilton — have publicly said they would oppose Schumer.

“What I’d be looking for is a leader who can lead from the center, somebody who can bring Republicans and Democrats together, somebody who can bring the various factions in Democratic Party together, somebody with fresh ideas,” Hamilton told me on “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “So again, no disrespect for Chuck Schumer. Just, it feels like there’s time for — it is a time for fresh and new ideas and somebody who can unite us instead of dividing us.

Just one incoming Democratic senator has said he will back Schumer: Ohio’s Sherrod Brown, who served three terms in the chamber before losing in 2024. Brown told NBC affiliate WCMH of Columbus that he was supporting Schumer “because I think he knows how to govern.”

“He’s controversial, people think he hasn’t fought hard enough. But that’s up to people like me to make sure he does,” said Brown, whom Schumer encouraged to run.

Another candidate Schumer heavily recruited, former Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, told CNN earlier this year that he has “made no commitments” about whom he would support as leader. Schumer also recruited former Rep. Mary Peltola, who is locked in a close race in Alaska that is too early to call, and it is not clear how she would vote if she wins.

The other newly elected Democrats have been noncommittal.

Iowa’s Josh Turek told me late last year that “the party needs change” and he would press candidates for leader on what they could do for his state. Texas’ James Talarico told CBS News after winning his race that he wants to meet with every leadership candidate. And New Hampshire’s Chris Pappas told CNN earlier this year that “it’s time for new voices” and he would wait to see who is running.

The latest Democrat to flip a Senate seat — Mississippi’s Scott Colom — has expressed concerns about Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the likely next speaker of the House, both hailing from the same New York City borough. But he told MS NOW this morning that he is “not a no” on Schumer and he wants the next leader to prioritize the Deep South and “actually fight for rural America.”

Ultimately, Schumer will need to secure majority support from the Senate Democratic caucus. After Van Hollen joined the race, Schumer expressed confidence, saying on X, “I have the votes to continue serving as Democratic Leader.”

Colom will join me to discuss all of this and more on “Meet the Press” this Sunday. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who recently suggested he could make another run for the White House, will also join for an exclusive interview.

Blue wave ignites a wild, wide-open 2028 race

By Natasha Korecki

DENVER — Last week’s Democratic midterm sweep reached so far and so wide that it is already recasting conventional thinking about who can forge a winning path to the White House in 2028 — blowing the doors off of what was already expected to be a wide-open presidential race.

There was something for everyone in Democratic politics. Moderates won, but so did progressives. Women scored victories in deep-red, statewide races. Candidates who didn’t have the most money won. Democrats won in the South and in rural states and districts. They scored big gains among young men and noncollege white voters. They also showed they could win back Hispanic voters.

It has all scrambled the thinking for an upcoming 2028 presidential primary, potentially opening more paths to winning the Electoral College than Democrats have had or considered in years. That’s likely to lure even more White House hopefuls to join what is expected to be a crowded field.

“It’s going to be the craziest, most wide-open primary,” said Brian Stryker, a longtime Democratic pollster. “I wouldn’t bet on anyone against the field. I wouldn’t say anyone has more than a 50% chance. I don’t know if anyone has more than a 20% chance.”

Read more →

🗞️ Today's other top stories

• 🎤 Nvidia fallout: Facing bipartisan pressure, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick agreed to testify before Congress over national security concerns regarding the expanding Nvidia scandal. Read more →
• ⚖️ SCOTUS watch: The Supreme Court agreed to decide whether the Trump administration has the authority to ban asylum claims at the southern border. Read more →
• 🇨🇺 Cuba update: Trump signaled in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that he could take military action to topple Cuba’s communist government before he leaves office. Read more →
• 🤝 Divided government: Sen.-elect James Talarico of Texas told a gathering of Democrats that voters are expecting them to immediately deliver and that means making Trump’s last two years in office the “most productive of any presidency in American history.” Read more →
• ☑️ NBC News projects: GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert was defeated by Democratic challenger Eileen Laubacher in Colorado’s 4th District. And Democratic state Sen. Cindy Holscher has narrowly won Kansas’ race for governor, extending the party’s hold on the office in the traditionally red state.

That’s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner.

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