Lefty Senate Democrats Form ‘Fight Club’ To Oppose Chuck Schumer’s Midterm Strategy

A pack of Democratic senators and Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are forming a coalition against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and his midterm strategy.

The group, dubbed the “Fight Club,” includes Sanders and Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Tina Smith of Minnesota, according to the New York Times (NYT). In addition to Schumer, the coalition’s ire is also aimed at the Senate Democratic Leader’s  Empire State colleague, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who heads the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), Senate Democrats’ campaign arm.

The Fight Club, whose existence was first reported by the NYT, seeks to directly challenge the way Schumer and Gillibrand have chosen and recruited Democratic Senate candidates, and argues their picks are more aligned with the party establishment. Schumer angered the party’s left-wing base after repeatedly declining to endorse New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, an avowed socialist aligned with the Sanders and Democrats’ left-flank, including New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The group is discussing joint-fundraising efforts, lending their donor lists to candidates, offering endorsements and making appearances on the campaign trail, according to the NYT. They aim to focus on primaries for open seats in Maine, Michigan and Minnesota, where they believe leadership is pushing for