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Democrats

Chuck Schumer Hits His Limit

The Democratic leader has frustrated some in his party over how he’s engaged in this year’s primaries.

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“The thing about iron is it rusts,” Abdul El-Sayed said of Chuck Schumer. Francis Chung/POLITICO/AP

By Alex Roarty, Elena Schneider, Stephen Neukam and Igor Bobic

July 1, 2026 05:50 a.m.

Everything was ready for Dan Kleban to launch his candidacy for Senate in Maine: He had informed top Democrats about his decision, hired staff to run his campaign and picked an early summer day in 2025 to make the public announcement.

And then a call came in from Washington. It was a warning from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

“They were basically like, don’t launch,” said one person with direct knowledge of the situation. “We’re telling you: ‘Don’t launch.’”