Schumer’s Shutdown Poised To Become Longest Ever. Some Democrats Want To Keep Fight Going.

Democrats are poised to smash the record for the longest shutdown in history and some lawmakers want to keep the government shuttered deep into November.

Tuesday — when millions of Americans are heading to the polls in California, New Jersey and Virginia — marks Day 35 of Democrats’ shutdown that continues to drag on despite ongoing funding talks behind the scenes. With the funding lapse all but guaranteed to stretch into Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will hold the title for the longest shutdown on record.

Some members on the party’s left flank have suggested that favorable results for Democrats during Tuesday night’s election results should inspire the party to keep the government closed until their demands are met.

“I think it’s pretty clear, and I think tomorrow’s results may confirm this, that the American people want us to fight for them,” Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, a rumored 2028 presidential candidate, told reporters on Monday. “This is an awful situation Trump has put us in where we’re balancing one kind of pain versus the other, but my sense is that people out there want us to fight.”

Murphy also claimed that “people will die” if Republicans do not agree to attach an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies slated to expire at the year’s end to a government funding measure. Republicans have consistently refused to negotiate on health care policy until Democrats supply the votes to reopen the government.

A 35-day shutdown in Trump’s first term previously held the record for the longest in American history. This shutdown revolved around the president’s demand for Congress to fund his southern border wall. That funding lapse was less painful because Congress had already passed spending measures to fund several agencies, including the Pentagon.

Democrats, however, are signaling