Thune tours key states while Schumer relies on virtual events

The United States Senate left Washington in September to focus on the November elections. Since then, the two chamber leaders have adopted very different strategies to support their respective parties.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has been traveling extensively across the country. He visited Nebraska on Tuesday, where he joined Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., for a roundtable. The event took place in a corrugated metal building located near cornfields. Thune also made stops in Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Minnesota, Iowa, and Ohio during this break.

"I tell all of our candidates, I'll come out for you or against you, whichever helps you the most," Thune said. He described his role as being whatever his candidates need to win their races.

In contrast, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has largely stayed away from the campaign trail. Instead, he has participated in virtual events. High-profile Democratic surrogates, including former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris, have traveled to battleground states to help the party retain control of the Senate.

Schumer's most recent appearance was a virtual fundraiser for Angie Nixon, a Democrat in Florida. Nixon is running against Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., and is affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America.

Several Democratic candidates in competitive districts are distancing themselves from Schumer. Scott Colom, a district attorney in Mississippi, is challenging Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss. A super PAC aligned with Schumer has placed $1.2 million in advertising in the state. However, Colom expressed reservations about supporting Schumer as the next Senate leader.

"I don't like that our party is represented by two people that live in the same borough," Colom said, referring to Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. He argued that the party needs more leaders who understand rural America. Other candidates, including Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and Adam Hamilton in Kansas, have explicitly stated they will not support Schumer if they win their seats.

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, pointed out the difference between the two parties. He noted that no Republican candidate is promising to vote against Thune for leadership, while many Democrats are making that pledge against Schumer. "So he's the problem," Moreno said.

Thune believes the Democratic Party is struggling to define itself in this election. He said the rise of socialists within the party is creating internal conflicts. "They've gotten so far left that they really are out of the mainstream of where the country's at," Thune said. He believes this drift could hurt the Democrats in a political environment that might otherwise be favorable for them.