Essem Harris

I have known Chuck Schumer for 16 years. I worked closely with him and his staff when I worked for Harry Reid. I have a lot of respect for him and have also had my differences over the years. The job of leader happens mostly behind the scenes. The traits that make a good leader are not the same as what makes you good at social media, etc. Reid was famous for saying off-message stuff—lord knows how he would have fared in the age of social media. When you’re in the majority, the job is about setting the agenda and passing bills that help people. When you’re in the minority, you’re at the mercy of the majority in terms of the agenda, so the job is mainly to get back in the majority. By that measure, Schumer succeeded wildly on Tuesday. He oversaw the biggest Democratic sweep in the Senate since Watergate, recruiting candidates who fit their states and putting them in position to win states many had written off long ago. He was an early believer in Mississippi, for example. You can litigate this or that decision, and I certainly didn’t agree with them all—but when you step back and look at the big picture there’s simply no way to argue with this historic achievement. To me, the question of whether Schumer deserves to be reelected as leader after the most dominant performance by Senate Democrats in more than half a century is straightforward, and the answer is clearly yes.