Senate Dem Tip-Toes Around Question on Whether He Wants Schumer’s Job: ‘We Have To Have a Conversation’

Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) tip-toed around a direct question from NBC’s Kristen Welker Sunday as to whether he is interested in taking Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer’s job.

On Sunday’s Meet the Press, Welker noted that Schumer was under fire from virtually every direction after he broke with Democrats and supported a GOP-led bill last week to avert a government shutdown.

Welker noted Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi criticized Schumer while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries declined to say whether he had any confidence in the Democratic leader on Friday.

She asked, “Do you have confidence in Leader Schumer’s leadership?” Murphy declined to definitely back Shumer in the following exchange:

MURPHY: So, Leader Schumer has a very difficult job. I don’t envy the job that he has. And the question is really for the members of his Democratic caucus. Are we willing to fight, right? I admit that it would take some risk-tolerant behavior in order to effectively stand up to this president. And so the question really is for my party writ large, are we willing to do the very difficult things necessary to meet this moment?

WELKER: Do you think that Leader Schumer is the best person to lead your caucus in this moment?

MURPHY: Senator Schumer certainly can lead this caucus.

WELKER: Is he the best person?

MURPHY: He can lead this caucus. But we need to have a conversation inside the caucus about whether we are willing to stand up to Republicans. Listen, we have options. We could decide to not proceed to legislation as an ordinary course of business. There are big fights ahead of us like the debt ceiling, like another potential government shutdown in six months. So we have opportunities as a caucus to stand up and meet this moment. And I think the American people are demanding that we do that.

WELKER: Just yes or no, before we move on, do you have confidence in Leader Schumer?

MURPHY: I still support Senator Schumer as leader. But I think the only way that we are going to be effective as a caucus is if we change our tactics. And we have to have a conversation inside our caucus to make sure that we are going to do that.

To wrap up the topic, Welker said, “Many of your supporters responded online, saying you should replace Leader Schumer. Is that something that you would consider? Would you consider that role?”

Murphy replied, “I mean, I don’t think anybody’s having that conversation right now. What’s important is that we meet this moment.”

He concluded, “So if you are a Democrat in the Senate or in the House, you have to start acting with urgency. And that is the conversation that we have to start having inside our caucus.”

Watch above via NBC News.