Olson on Newsmax: Schumer’s Decline and the End of the Shutdown
Byline: Olson Strategies Staff
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Dustin Olson, Managing Partner at Olson Strategies, joined Newsmax’s Wake Up America to discuss why Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is viewed so unfavorably within his own party, the nearing end of the government shutdown, and whether voter sentiment about the shutdown’s impact—particularly on air travel—could carry into the 2026 midterm elections.
Schumer’s Unpopularity Among His Own Party
The conversation began with a look at new polling comparing favorability between Chuck Schumer and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, revealing Schumer as the least popular Democratic Senate leader ever, with a net -4 favorability among Democrats. Olson explained that the shift reflects a deeper transformation within the Democratic Party itself.
“If people don't know this, more than 250 Democratic Socialists are now elected across the country [at all levels of government] after last week's elections. This is the transformation that we're watching of the Democratic Party, and he [Chuck Schumer] is now on the outs.”
The Shutdown’s End and Its Political Implications
Next, Olson was asked about the government shutdown finally drawing to a close, and whether frustrations over how it impacted essential services—like air travel—might influence voters in future elections. He suggested reducing the immediate pain on the American people at the beginning of the shutdown probably prolonged the shutdown, noting that it took air travel issues becoming untenable to force a handful of Democrats to vote to reopen the government.
“This is strategically something that the Trump administration and Republicans may not have really foreseen. They tried to keep the American people from feeling the effects of the shutdown, and I think that's what had it go a little bit longer than it could have. But when they started really dealing with air traffic control issues and ramping down the number of people and starting to cancel flights, that's when this became absolutely something Democrats had to deal with.”
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