Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is reportedly placing partial blame for his party’s failure to regain the upper chamber on failed Democratic candidate Cal Cunningham who allegedly “couldn’t keep his zipper up.”
What are the details?
Axios reported Tuesday that Schumer “has made the zipper comment on numerous calls” to donors in blaming Cunningham’s personal drama for his narrow loss in North Carolina to incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis (R), after Cunningham admitted to exchanging sexually charged texts with a woman who is not his wife.
Cunningham, a married father of two, was also hit with allegations of engaging in separate physical affairs with the alleged mistress and another unnamed woman. Prior to the scandal, Cunningham was leading in the polls and expected to win.
Schumer reportedly said he now regrets recruiting Cunningham for the race.
Schumer also pointed to the passing of late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as playing a factor in why Democrats were unable to flip the Senate, speculating that Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) was able to keep hold of her seat by appealing to Democrats, independents and undecideds in opposing the nomination of Justice Amy Coney Barrett so close to the presidential election.
Every major poll leading up to Election Day had predicted that Collins would lose to Democratic challenger Sara Gideon.
Republicans currently hold the Senate 50-48, so it is no longer possible for Democrats to take the majority outright. But if Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden takes office — as the mainstream media has widely projected — there is still a path for Democrats to control the upper chamber.
The final two Senate races will take place in Georgia run-offs to be held next month, as sitting Republican Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue square off against Democratic challengers Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff respectively. If Warnock and Ossoff both win, the Senate would be split 50-50.
If President Donald Trump is successful in his challenge to the presidential election results, Vice President Mike Pence would then be the tie-breaker.
If Biden is inaugurated and the Senate is split 50-50, a Vice President Kamala Harris would be the tie-breaker, meaning Democrats would then control the White House and both chambers of Congress.
How about blaming a Senate Minority Leader who couldn’t keep his mouth shut. (Sen Schumer’s pubicly threatening harm to specific Supreme Court Justices was a compelling reason to vote against any and all Democratic Senatorial candidates — simply to keep this thug from being Senate Majority Leader. Zippers are small potatoes by comparison.)