Politics With Nolan: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez considering a challenge to Chuck Schumer

By Nolan Cleary, Editor-In-Chief

New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is considering a challenge to New York Senator and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. 

Cortez, who gained national traction after she defeated a high-level Democratic Congressman in a Democratic primary in 2018. Since the upset, many pundits expected Cortez would go on to seek higher office. 

Schumer, who took office in 1999, currently serves as the number one Democrat in the United States Senate. Schumer has never faced any challenge from any Democrats since his first election in 1998. 

Cortez, who identifies as a Democratic socialist, is expected to shift the race to the left if she opts to run. Schumer fails to secure a fifth six-year term in office, he will be the first Senate Majority Leader from either party to lose re-election since Democrat Tom Daschle of South Dakota lost to Republican Tom Thune in 2004. 

Cortez, if she chooses to run, would go in massive fundraising woes and giant name recognition attached to her campaign. Defeating Schumer however, would be easier said than done. 

Schumer as the top dog in the U.S. Senate is likely to give him a big boost with donors, especially liberal donors who remain reluctant to embrace Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s style of politics, as well as some of her more economically liberal policies. 

Additionally, a victory for Cortez over an incumbent would be in some ways unprecedented. The last time an incumbent U.S. Senator from New York was defeated for re-election was in 1980, when Republican incumbent Jacob K. Javits, known for his more liberal views on policies when compared to other Republicans, lost re-nomination to Alfonse Marcello D’Amato. 

Still, many students on Hudson Valley Community College’s campus believe Schumer has remained in office too long and that a change is necessary as Schumer has spent the last 40 years in Congress. 

Samantha Nielsen, a student in a fine arts major, said she believes it’s time for fresh blood to take over. “I think it will be nice to have someone new in office,” Nielsen said. Nielsen said she would back Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over Chuck Schumer, citing Cortez’s policies as the main reason why. 

Anissa Kilinski, a student in an individual studies major was more critical of Cortez’s policies. “I think a lot of what [Cortez] bases her views on is just a little bit skewed. I think she contradicts herself a lot. For example, she wore that dress to the Met Gala. There’s not supposed to be anything political at the Met Gala, and she did that, so personally, I think her views are a little bit skewed,” Kilinski said. 

Nielsen said that issues related to the environment, student loan forgiveness and other progressive policies are just a few of the things she’d like to see New York’s next U.S. Senator address, whether that be a Senator Schumer or a Senator Cortez. 

Kilinski said she was concerned with the growing number of attempts from politicians to mandate that Americans received the COVID-19 vaccine. 

“I definitely the COVID-19 pandemic with masks and vaccines really needs to be addressed. It’s really hard to mandate something that is so new, and we’re all still learning stuff about COVID. I’d like to see more flexibility on that, vaccine-wise and mask-wise,” Kilinski said.