Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., after a news conference in the U.S. Capitol on the government shutdown on Nov. 5, 2025. (Tom Williams/Getty)
And even though he opposed the agreement, Schumer, the top Democrat in the chamber, has faced calls from some House Democrats and others in the party to step down due to his inability to keep Senate Democrats unified.
But to date, no Senate Democrat has joined those calls for Schumer to step down.
Asked if Schumer was still up to the task of steering Senate Democrats, Murphy said, "I think his job is really, really hard. He obviously did not want this outcome. He wanted the caucus to stay together. He was not successful in that endeavor."
TRUMP ARGUES SCHUMER MADE A MISTAKE
"We've got to have a hard conversation as a caucus about what we all need to do, what kind of leadership we need in order to make sure that we don't continue to break apart," added Murphy, who as Deputy Democratic Conference Secretary is a member of the party's leadership in the chamber.
And he noted that "this is the fourth major moment this year where a handful of Democrats have crossed over and voted with Donald Trump."
"That means we need more effective leadership. That also means that the caucus has to decide for itself that we're not going to continue to break apart like this," he emphasized.
Sen. Chris Murphy speaks to a gathering of Merrimack County Democrats on Nov. 12, 2025, in Concord, New Hampshire. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Murphy, who during former President Joe Biden's tenure in the White House spent much of his time trying to reach across the aisle to find common ground with Republicans on such issues as gun control, immigration and Ukraine, is now helping fund organizations that are pushing back against Trump and his agenda.
"I've been making grants to protest organizations and grassroots organizations all around the country," he said.
And the senator, who won re-election last year in blue-leaning Connecticut by nearly 20 points, highlighted that "I've been all over the country this year. I've been holding town halls, often with other colleagues, targeting mostly states that are represented by Republicans, so that they're hearing the other side."
And looking ahead to next year's midterm elections, he said, "I'll likely be traveling throughout New England, but also throughout the rest of the country, to try to help stand up a national mobilization against Trump's corruption."
Murphy is seen by political pundits as a possible contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, which is expected to be a crowded and competitive race.
After his interview with Fox News Digital, Murphy headlined the latest "Stand Up New Hampshire Town Hall." The speaking series, organized by top New Hampshire Democratic elected officials and party leaders, is seen as an early cattle call for potential White House contenders.
The New Hampshire Republican Party welcomed Murphy to the first-in-the-nation presidential primary state with an email released titled "NHGOP Welcomes Future Failed Presidential Candidate Chris Murphy to New Hampshire."
Asked about a possible presidential run in 2028, Murphy said, "I think it'd be so foolish for any of us to be thinking about running in an election in 2028 that may not happen. I mean, I think this moment is really serious. I think Donald Trump is trying to rig the rules of American democracy so that either he can run again or that the opposition party has no chance to win."
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Pointing to his current mission "to help save our democracy," Murphy insisted "that's all I'm focused on right now. And I think that is what I would recommend to all of my colleagues, whether they're thinking about running for national office in 2028 or whether they have no plans to do so."
"We have one mission right now, which is to make sure there actually is an election in 2028 where a Democrat has a reasonable chance of winning," he added.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democratic-senator-calls-more-effective-leadership-schumer-faces-mounting-pressure