Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.)

Chairman, Democratic Policy Committee (since January 1999)

(Robert Giroux/
Getty Images)

Why He Matters

Schumer just hates to be ignored.

A quintessential New Yorker, Schumer is famous for his love of the spotlight. But he has earned his colleagues' respect because of his shrewd campaign instincts and ability to craft policies that appeal to middle-class swing voters. He is now a top Senate leader, respected by Democrats for his savvy political instincts and a member of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) inner circle. After the drubbing Democrats took in the 2010 midterms, Reid elevated Schumer to head the Democratic Policy Committee and coordinate messaging for Senate Democrats, making it sharper and more partisan.

Read more

Corrections?

Background

At a Glance

Career History Senate Democratic Conference Vice Chair (2007-2010); Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman (2006-2008); U.S. Senate (since 1998); U.S. House (1980 to 1998)
Birthday: Nov. 23, 1950
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Alma Mater: Harvard, B.A., 1971; Harvard Law School, J.D., 1974
Spouse: Iris Weinshall
Religion: Jewish
Committees: Chairman, Rules and Administration ; Judiciary ; Finance ; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs ; Vice-chairman, Joint Economic
DC Office: 313 Hart Senate Building, 202-224-6542

State Offices: New York, 212-486-4430; Albany, 518-431-4070; Buffalo, 716-846-4111; Binghamton, 607-772-6792; Peekskill, 914-734-1532; Melville, 631-753-0978; Rochester, 585-263-5866; Syracuse, 315-423-5471
Email
Web site
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Flickr
RSS

Path to Power

Schumer grew up in Brooklyn with his parents and two siblings. The son of a pest exterminator, he excelled in school, graduating first in his high-school class and scoring a 1600 on his SATs.

When he didn't make the basketball team at Harvard, he agreed to travel with the Young Democrats to campaign for Eugene McCarthy. He fell in love with politics in New Hampshire, switching his major from organic chemistry to political science.

Read more

After college, he headed straight to Harvard Law School. On the car ride home from his graduation, he told his parents that he was planning on turning down a position with a prestigious law firm to run for New York Assembly. They protested, but Schumer was, as usual, determined.

Schumer launched his campaign from home, and though his mother urged her friends to vote against him, he won. At 23, he became the youngest member of the New York legislature since Theodore Roosevelt.

Coming to Washington

When a U.S. House seat opened in 1980, Schumer won the position. In Washington, Schumer focused on passing gun- control laws like the Brady bill, which required a mandatory waiting period for all handgun purchases. Republicans allowed the measure to expire in 2004.

In 1998, he launched his Senate campaign, taking on the powerful GOP incumbent D'Amato. It was a risky move - D'Amato had easy access to donor dollars and a reputation as an entrenched party boss. The campaign was fierce, and fiercely negative, with the candidates attacking each other's records and integrity.

The race was a dead-heat until mid-October, when D'Amato called Schumer a "putzhead" in front of a Jewish group. The comment caused an outcry and pushed Schumer ahead in the polls. He ultimately won, 55 percent to 44 percent.

Schumer raised almost $12 million for his 2004 reelection race, winning handily with 71 percent of the vote. He carried 61 of the 62 counties, losing only Hamilton County despite repeated visits. Of the race, he joked "the problem in Hamilton was that I had met each of the voters personally."

Schumer considered a run for governor against former Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in 2006, but was talked out of it by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who offered Schumer a seat on the Senate Finance Committee and the DSCC chairmanship.

Senate Leader

Schumer threw himself into the job, outraising his Republican opponents by more than $30 million. He convinced older Democrats not to retire and recruited centrist opponents like Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), who opposes abortion rights and Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), a Vietnam veteran. He supervised his candidates vigilantly and required final approval over their picks for campaign manager, finance director and communications director. He even instructed them to hold splashy "Chuck Schumer" press conferences on Sunday afternoons.

His efforts paid off big-time, netting the Democrats six seats and the Senate majority. Reid was so delighted that he appointed him to the job again for the 2008 elections. Schumer was also appointed Democratic Caucus vice-chair, a new position which allows him to help to shape the party's message.

In 2009, Democrats held a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority for a brief time. Schumer works closely with Reid, but Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) is his replacement as DSCC chair.

The Issues

Schumer often talks of his two imaginary friends - the middle class Baileys -for whom he crafts legislation.

He aims for left-of-center pragmatic policies that appeal to moderate voters. His proposals include increasing reading and math scores by boosting federal education spending, reducing property taxes, encouraging legal immigration, reducing foreign oil dependency and lowering cancer mortality.

Read more

While he has a liberal voting record, Schumer tries to steer clear of divisive cultural issues. Instead, he promotes measures to improve education and fight crime. He voted with Democrats 98.3 percent of the time in the 110th Congress.

True to form, Schumer sounds off on almost any issue that crosses his plate, often issuing several statements supporting or denouncing legislation. He has introduced or cosponsored 542 bills while in the Senate, 12 of which have passed.

The Economy

Schumer is a prodigious fundraiser, and in New York, that means turning to Wall Street. Schumer's top campaign contributors are financial institutions, and Schumer has maintained their support by voting to limit regulation and the rights of small investors. Schumer supported the fall 2008 $700 billion bailout bill.

In 2007, he opposed additional supervision of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He also proposed a bailout of subprime borrowers to save their homes, though critics pointed out the policy would ultimately have helped the banking industry.

In June 2008, Schumer sent an open letter to IndyMac about his concerns over its solvency, which may have contributed to the bank's ultimate failure. CNBC financial analyst Jerry Bowyer blamed Schumer for the collapse, though others have said he probably simply sped up the demise of an already-doomed institution.

Crime

Schumer, a staunch gun-control advocate, has taken on the National Rifle Association and won a handful of times. In 1994, he sponsored an anti-crime law that banned several assault weapons, put 100,000 new police officers on the streets and created the "three strikes" mandatory life sentence requirement. He also passed legislation that required a waiting period before anyone can purchase a gun.

The NRA has accused him of not knowing enough about guns, but critics praise him for defeating the lobby group's firm grip on Congress. The assault-weapons ban expired in 2004, and Schumer failed to secure passage of an extension.

National Security

In the weeks after September 11, 2001, Schumer secured $20 billion to rebuild New York City, fighting Republican attempts to limit the flow of cash. He has since backed several measures that he thinks will keep the city safer, including an information-sharing agreement between state and local officials and the FBI.

When Schumer found out that the Bush administration had agreed to lease several U.S. ports to a company bought by Dubai Port World, he went on the offensive, arguing that allowing foreign control of the country's ports could increase terrorism. While the Port Authority and the administration initially supported Dubai Port World's bid, Schumer and a group of senators eventually brokered a deal that allowed AIG to lease the space.

Gay Marriage

Schumer initially backed civil unions over gay marriage, but in March 2009, he announced a change of heart, and called for the legalization of gay marriage. "It's time," he said in a statement. "Equality is something that has always been a hallmark of America and no group should be deprived of it. New York, which has always been at the forefront on issues of equality, is appropriately poised to take a lead on this issue."

Health-Care Reform

Schumer once again took on the role of mediator in early 2009, this time in the contentious health-care reform debate.

Democrats had been pushing for a government-run health insurance plan to be offered alongside private plans. But the powerful health-insurance industry said the government would make an unfair competitor, eventually driving them out of business and leaving Americans with a sole public option. He has said he doesn't think co-ops go far enough in the reform debate. "I don't think I could say with a straight face that this (co-op proposal) is at all close to a nationwide public option," he told The Associated Press in September 2009. "Right now, this co-op idea doesn't come close to satisfying anyone who wants a public plan."

In May 2009, Schumer proposed that any government-run health plan should be self-sustaining and not receive funds from other government sources.

A government-run plan should also be subject to the same rules that apply to private insurers, and the government officials in charge of the public plan should be separate from those who regulate the insurance market, Schumer proposed.

The Network

The senator with a knack for buzz also has a gift for hiring press secretaries that go on to big things in politics. Former communications directors include Risa Heller, now chief communications director for New York Gov. David Paterson (D); Howard Wolfson, a spokesman for Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign who moved on to work for New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg; and Josh Isay, a Democratic consultant for Knickerbocker SKD, the public relations firm Schumer uses.

Schumer's wife, Irish Weinshall, was New York City Mayor Bloomberg's commissioner of transportation. Several of Schumer's former staffers have gone on to work in the Bloomberg administration.

Read more