Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On The Outcome Of 2024 Election And The Path Forward

Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on the importance of bipartisan cooperation to get things done following the 2024 election. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

One week ago, a near-record number of Americans carried on the grand tradition of voting in a national election, and of passing the torch peacefully.

There are many things we can say about what happened last Tuesday. It was not the result many of us wanted.

But we live in a democracy, where the will of the people is respected and followed. And the American people have spoken.

I congratulate President-elect Trump on his victory, and I look forward to speaking with him soon. 

And I congratulate Vice President Harris and Governor Walz for running a historic campaign. They can be proud of the incredible work their team has done over the last four months.

The values Vice President Harris ran on will live on: individual freedom, opportunity for all, and working together to build a safer, stronger nation.

And, for those of us who have been given the honor of representing the people of our states, we look forward to serving, to governing, to working in principled and bipartisan fashion, to reward the trust the American people have placed in us.

Now, to my fellow Democrats across America, it’s natural and appropriate to feel deep disappointment, grief, and even anger in this moment.

I understand those feelings. It never feels good to come up short, but when you do, you get up, you dust yourself off, you learn, and prepare to do better in the future.

You study what occurred. We will do that.

You listen to what voters are saying, and you find ways to make government responsive to those wants and desires, those dreams, those needs. And you also take the approval of the voters from the places we each represent, those voters who sent us back to the Senate, and carry forth the principles we campaigned on—and we won on. And you find ways to put those principles into practice as much as possible, while finding ways to work in a bipartisan fashion to get things done.

As I’ve told my caucus this week, we should regard this election not merely as a defeat but more importantly as a challenge. The American people have presented us with a challenge and we must answer the call. We have to look at what we did right, what we did wrong, and what we didn’t do but should have done.

First, we have to look at what we did right and continue to pursue those goals. Many of our Senate colleagues, after all, are returning to the Senate despite facing strong headwinds. I’ll say more about that in a moment.

Second, we have to understand the things we did wrong and how we must change.

Third, we have to look at what we didn’t do, but should have done. 

We’ll have these important and necessary conversations in due course—and everyone must have a seat at the table. We must be honest. We must be practical. And we must never abandon our roots that have defined the Democratic Party for generations. 

To Democrats who were around back in 2004, remember the grief we felt back then. It was also a tough election for sure. But what happened afterwards?

We got back to work to regain the trust of the American people. I was proud to be part of that process as chair of the DSCC. And just two years later, the tide turned in a dramatic way.

Finally, before I turn to the Senate, let me say this: I hope that after last week we can put to rest the fantasy of stolen elections and rigged outcomes.

Four years ago, the losing side refused to accept the will of the people, and it led to a violent insurrection at the US Capitol. This year, we will not go down that dark and violent path.

Now, let me go on to the Senate.

Last Tuesday brought a mix of success and disappointment for Senate Democrats. In the final analysis we hoped for a better result. As happens from time to time, control of this chamber will change from one party to the other.

To Senator Brown and Senator Tester: we could not be prouder of the races you ran. More importantly, we could not be prouder of the legacy you have built here in the United States Senate. You are some of the finest people I’ve ever worked with in this chamber. To both of you I say thank you. Job well done. Job well done.

I’ve spoken to both Senators Tester and Brown a couple of times this past week, and they’re not ones to get down on themselves.

They’re going to be just fine, and they’ll continue to do great things for their home states and for our country. But I feel for the people of Montana and Ohio, who will now lose two incredible leaders.

To Senators Rosen and Baldwin, we are thrilled you are coming back for another term, despite all the headwinds and obstacles you faced back home.

In fact, despite a difficult year for Democrats, four of our most contested seats will remain in the hands of Democrats. And in one other state, the votes are still being counted.

Let me repeat that: despite a difficult year for Democrats, which everyone predicted would be a place where we lost all of our seats almost, despite that, four of the most contested seats will remain in Democratic hands: Nevada, Michigan, Arizona, and Wisconsin. And as I said, the votes in one more state are still being counted.

Donald Trump won all those states. But so did our Democratic colleagues and colleagues to-be.

Winning four Senate seats from the nation’s tightest swing states does not happen on its own. It’s a testament to the incredible work Senate Democrats have done in this chamber to benefit the American people.

With Democrats in the Majority, the United States Senate had its most successful and productive years in decades.

Under our watch, this chamber became a place where we got big things done.

We passed bold legislation that lifted America out of crisis, rebuilt our economy, and invested in good paying jobs.

We passed the American Rescue Plan. The bipartisan infrastructure bill. The Chips and Science Act. We took care of our veterans. We defended Ukraine. We protected marriage equality. We passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which has done more to improve the environment than any other act, and also lowered the cost of prescription drugs. And we did so much more.

These accomplishments will continue to pay off for years and decades to come.

And I’m proud that the vast majority of our accomplishments were done in a bipartisan fashion.

As a result, many of our incumbents are coming back despite a tough year, and multiple swing seats will remain with Democrats.

Now, to my newly elected Democratic colleagues from across the country, I extend a welcoming hand. I met with these new members just now in my office. We’re excited to get to work. We’re excited you’re joining our caucus.

Now, let me turn to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Another closely-contested election now comes to an end.

To my Republican colleagues, I offer a word of caution in good faith: take care not to misread the will of the people, and do not abandon the need for bipartisanship.

After winning an election, the temptation may be to go to the extreme. We’ve seen that happen over the decades, and it’s consistently backfired on the party in power.

So instead of going to the extremes, I remind my colleagues that this body is most effective when it’s bipartisan.

If we want in the next four years in the Senate to be as productive as the last four, the only way that will happen is through bipartisan cooperation.

Democrats will be ready to do what we have consistently done: work with both sides when the opportunity arises.

Democrats will never abandon our values, but neither will we reject the opportunity to move the ball forward to make people’s lives better when we can.

The question is now whether or not Republicans are willing to do the same. To my colleagues on the other side, once again: do not abandon bipartisanship. It’s the best and most effective way to get things done.

It was true in the last four years, and will be true in the years to come.

Finally, let me end with this: for millions of Americans, particularly those on this side of the aisle, this is a difficult moment.

But as John F Kennedy once said, “let us not despair but act.”

Let us not despair but act. Let us not give up on the dream that is America.

Instead, let us do what those who came before us have always done. Let us persevere. Let us persist.

Let us get to work.

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