Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has been a fixture of the Democratic party for years, but he is starting to face pointed questions about his leadership as he struggles to effectively confront President Trump.

As reported by the New York Post, a group of Democratic senators is pushing back on Schumer's plan for the midterm elections as infighting mounts over the party's future. They are calling themselves "The Fight Club," and they accuse Schumer of meddling in primary races to stifle challenges from the left.

Democrat infighting grows

In recent months, Schumer has faced mounting criticism as progressives argue for new, bolder leadership to resist Trump. Schumer declined to endorse millennial socialist Zohran Mamdani, whose rise has divided the Democratic party.

The "Fight Club" is focusing on open primaries in states like Maine, Michigan and Minnesota, where Maine Gov. Janet Mills, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), and Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN), respectively, are seen as the favored picks by Schumer and the party establishment, including the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). Some of the "Fight Club" members have released a video endorsing Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan to replace Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), a member of the so-called Fight Club who is retiring.

“We think she’s the sort of anti-business-as-usual candidate,” Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said of Flanagan.

"One big mess"

Besides Van Hollen, who infamously traveled to El Salvador for a photo-op with an alleged gang member, the "Fight Club" members include Bernie Sanders (I-VT) Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Chris Murphy (D-CT), senators whom critics argue have little experience fighting tough political battles. The group's critics also note that the "Fight Club" members have received help in the past from the party machine that they are now challenging.

"I think it needs a rebrand, because it’s more like ‘Never Won a Real Fight Club,’ because these are a bunch of people who have never been engaged or never themselves been in a really competitive race,” a Democratic strategist told the New York Post

The "Fight Club" effort is the latest apparent attempt by Democrats to project a more youthful, tough image. Some of the "Fight Club" members, like Senator Murphy, have become known for using swear words to convey authenticity, a tactic that has faced mockery.

Indeed, the "Fight Club" has faced derision from some party insiders, who dismiss it as a PR stunt to win brownie points with the liberal base. According to one source, the group reached out to the New York Times for publicity, and things have gone downhill since then, with senators competing for the spotlight.

“It’s one big, giant mess. Senator [John] Thune has something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving because more leaks are coming. It’s way beyond Chuck Schumer at this point. It’s dysfunction," the source said.

Schumer safe?

The chaos that is plaguing the "Fight Club" is part of a larger problem for the party, which is suffering from a crisis in leadership that has raised doubts about Schumer's own political future.

Earlier this year, Schumer outraged the left when he agreed to work with Trump to avoid a government shutdown - and Schumer took another black eye this month when he failed to stop a handful of Democrats from defecting to end the longest shutdown in U.S. history, which Schumer triggered in a failed bid to secure Obamacare tax credits.

Schumer's weak and indecisive leadership has led to speculation that he could face a primary of his own from left-wing star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), but as of now, there does not seem to be any momentum for such an effort, including from the self-styled "Fight Club," which has offered tepid criticism of Schumer, at best.

“Our North Star has always been winning the Senate majority in 2026 and any decision is made towards achieving that goal,” a Schumer spokesperson told The Post. “Sen. Schumer is focused more on winning than ideology when deciding who to support."