U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) is part of a small group of Democrats joining forces to challenge their party’s leadership.
They call themselves the “Fight Club,” according to The New York Times.
The group of Senate Democrats includes Murphy, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Tina Smith of Minnesota, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. (Sanders is an Independent who caucuses with Dems).
They’re reportedly unhappy with how Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who heads the Democratic campaign fundraising arm of the Senate, are approaching the 2026 midterms.
That includes how the New York senators are choosing candidates to quietly support. So, Murphy and his “Fight Club” colleagues are handing out their own endorsements.
Murphy, who has been regularly posting short explainer videos on social media since President Donald Trump started his second term, posted an endorsement for Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota.
He said he doesn’t normally endorse in Senate primaries, but that this election cycle was different.
“Our politics is corrupt, and Peggy gets that. So that's why I'm endorsing her today, Murphy said. “That's why a big group of my colleagues in the Senate is endorsing her today, because she understands that the primary work is to change who has influence in our politics.”
Thirty-three Senate seats are up for election in 2026. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the chamber.
Favorability ratings for Congressional leadership in both parties are low. Some rank-and-file Democrats, in particular, have been frustrated with how Schumer has dealt with the Trump administration this year, including his vote for a Republican budget to keep the government open back in March.
Murphy’s office did not comment on this report, nor confirm or deny the existence of the “Fight Club.”
