Democratic Senate candidate on supporting Schumer as leader: 'I need to win first'

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), a candidate for Illinois’s open Senate seat next year, declined to say whether he would back Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for another term at the helm, saying he needs to “win first” before making that consideration. 

Krishnamoorthi told CNN’s Manu Raju in an interview on Monday that he wants to hear Schumer’s plan for Senate Democrats to seize the moment and to help people with issues like affording a home, educating their children and retiring with access to Social Security and Medicare. 

“If I were privileged to be in the Senate, I definitely want to hear his ideas for how do we meet the moment right now, those economic problems that beset people, how does he want to tackle them because I think that is the urgency of the situation right now,” Krishnamoorthi said in comments highlighted by Mediaite. 

Raju had asked Krishnamoorthi about a CNN poll that found 72 percent of voters disapprove of Democratic leaders in Congress, and the congressman responded that he backed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.,) but didn’t mention Schumer. 

After Raju followed up to ask about Schumer, Krishnamoorthi noted that he and Schumer voted differently on the Republican-crafted continuing resolution in March that avoided a government shutdown but implemented widespread funding cuts for nondefense programs. 

Schumer faced significant backlash from critics over his vote to advance the measure as he argued the legislation was “very bad,” but a shutdown would have been worse. 

After Raju pressed Krishnamoorthi over his view of Schumer, the Illinois Democrat responded “You’re putting the cart before the horse.” 

“I need to win first,” he said. 

Krishnamoorthi is running for the seat being vacated by the retiring Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the Senate minority whip under Schumer. He is facing Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton and Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) for the Democratic nomination. 

Whoever wins the nomination will likely win the general election next November in the solidly blue state.