Dozens of young left-wing activists were arrested Thursday after staging a sit-in inside Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s Washington office, demanding Democrats dump their longtime leader and abolish the filibuster when they take control of Congress in January.
U.S. Capitol Police confirmed 54 arrests at Schumer’s personal office in the Hart Senate Office Building. The protesters were charged with crowding, obstructing and incommoding.
The demonstration was organized by the Sunrise Movement, a youth climate group, which said a few hundred people took part. Video posted by the group showed activists sitting on the office floor chanting, “Hey hey, ho ho, Schumer has got to go!” Protesters, including children, held signs reading “The filibuster kills,” “Stop the climate crisis,” and “Schumer: Step up or step aside.”
The group demanded that Schumer either pledge to scrap the filibuster or step aside as Democratic leader in favor of Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.
“Young people went to Senator Chuck Schumer’s office to demand a Senate majority leader that would fight for the young people who elected a historic blue wave last week,” a Sunrise spokesperson said.
The sit-in exposes a deepening rift inside the Democratic Party, even as it prepares to take over both chambers after last week’s midterm sweep. Several Democrats have declined to back Schumer, including Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed and Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan.
Van Hollen said Monday he had not ruled out challenging Schumer, arguing that Democrats should not simply hand their leader a “coronation” after winning the Senate. He has since said he will challenge Schumer for majority leader.
Schumer has served as the top Senate Democrat for nearly a decade, and his standing with the party’s progressive base has been slipping for some time. In March 2025, Sunrise said 11 of its activists were arrested at his office while protesting his decision to help advance a Republican government funding bill. Last year, the progressive group MoveOn called on him to step aside after Democratic senators broke ranks to end the government shutdown.
The Sunrise activists’ demands go well beyond leadership. Ending the filibuster, which requires 60 votes to advance most legislation, would allow a narrow Democratic majority to pass sweeping progressive bills without Republican support, a goal the far left has pushed for years.
Schumer’s office and Capitol Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Medill News Service.