As Democrats search for a new leader after facing defeat at the hands of Republicans in the 2024 election, one name seems to be falling off the list.

Despite holding the official title of Minority Leader in the United States Senate, Chuck Schumer lacks significant popularity, both among the public at large and within his own voting base.

A Democratic candidate for the Senate from Texas, though considered a long shot, offered a candid opinion on the man who would lead his party’s caucus, should he arrive in Washington, D.C.

Terry Virts, a former astronaut with NASA and a U.S. Air Force F-16 pilot, posted on X this week that the ‘Democratic Party brand is the Chuck Schumer brand. And voters don’t like him.’

‘I’ve been clear, when elected, I will not vote for Schumer as leader. But I believe we should go further: Senate Democrats should move to replace him NOW.’

That is a bold statement from someone who may be forced to pull on Schumer’s purse strings if he makes it through his party’s primary in a Senate race Democrats are buzzing about.

Virts is officially running against Colin Allred, a former congressman who is polling as the favorite in the race. Allred lost by an 8.5-point margin to Republican Senator Ted Cruz in 2024.

After announcing his campaign just three days before the June Federal Election Commission filing deadline, Virts raised just over $200,000, with $50,000 of that being self-funded. He has not yet been included in any polls of the Democratic primary field.

Terry Virts, then a NASA astronaut, is pictured on April 22, 2016 in Washington, DC. Virts is now a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2026

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 29, 2025

Allred has not yet submitted fundraising numbers for his current race, as he entered the contest on July 1st, after the most recent fundraising deadline.

Nevertheless, Republicans, at least for now, have the upper hand in the race.

The Cook Political Report ranks the Texas Senate race as ‘Likely Republican’ 

Opposition to Schumer has been growing this year. 

Back in March, several members of his party publicly rebuked him due to his support of a GOP stopgap spending bill. 

Representative Jasmine Crockett, a Texas Democrat, said at the time that the move by Schumer was ‘absolutely wrong.’

Representative Debbie Dingell of Michigan characterized Schumer’s actions as sending ‘mixed signals.’

Democrats on Capitol Hill also shared with the Daily Mail earlier this summer that there is still no consensus on who is the party’s head.

‘We don’t have a counterpart in our party at the moment, because … we’re coming out of the last presidency,’ Florida Democrat Rep. Jared Moskowitz told the Daily Mail. ‘But no, we don’t have a counterbalance at the moment.’ 

Former Congressman Colin Allred is running again for the U.S. Seante in Texas in 2026

Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) played both sides when other members of her party shamed Schumer for backing President Donald Trump’s stopgap funding bill earlier in 2025

Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has been put forth as a potential future leader for the Democratic Party

Democratic Representative of Florida Jared Moskowitz told The Daily Mail earleir this summer that his party does not have a new face in the Trump era 

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, has emerged as a vocal critic of Trump during his second term, but has also not been afraid to rebuke leaders of her own party

A Sienna College Poll released earlier this month found that only 39 percent of Schumer’s own constituents had a favorable view of the lawmaker. 

Forty-six percent of respondents had a negative view of the Senator.

The top Senate Democrat ranked 26th out of 29 high-profile Democrats on the latest DailyMail+ Power List released Tuesday.

New York Democratic firebrand, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, finished 24th out of 29, one spot above Biden.

Based on exclusive polling, the Mail’s Power List captures public sentiment around likeability, trustworthiness, perceived bias, and knowledge among key figures. 

The data reveals who Americans like and trust and who they don’t, and the verdict is as damning as it is surprising.

The top five names on the Democrat list were all celebrities. 

Schumer’s Senate colleague and Vermont Independent Bernie Sanders took the spot of the top elected official on the list at number six, with Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman coming seventh right behind Sanders.

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker also appeared on the list ahead of Schumer, ranking in ninth place. 

The Daily Mail reached out to Schumer’s team for comment on this story.