Schumer Accuses 'MAGA Right' of Trying to Suppress Votes

Senate Minority Leader says proposed voting laws would disproportionately impact poor and minority voters

Published on Feb. 15, 2026

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In a CNN interview, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused the 'MAGA right' of trying to suppress the votes of poor people and people of color through proposed voting laws, saying they 'don't want poor people to vote' and 'don't want people of color to vote'.

Why it matters

Voting rights and access to the ballot box are central issues in American politics, with debates over voter ID laws, election security, and allegations of voter suppression. Schumer's comments reflect the partisan divide over these issues and the perception that some policies are intended to disenfranchise certain demographics.

The details

Schumer specifically criticized a proposed 'SAVE Act' that he said would make it 'so hard to get any kind of voter ID that more than 20 million legitimate people, mainly poor people and people of color, will not be able to vote.' He argued these measures are akin to 'Jim Crow 2.0' and vowed that Democrats will 'not let it pass in the Senate'.

  • The interview aired on CNN's 'State of the Union' on February 15, 2026.

The players

Chuck Schumer

The Senate Minority Leader, a Democrat from New York.

Jake Tapper

The host of CNN's 'State of the Union' who interviewed Schumer.

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What they’re saying

“They show no evidence of voter of voter fraud. They show there's so little in the country. And to have ICE agents, these thugs be by the polling places that just flies in the face of how democracy works, of how we've had elections for hundreds of years very successfully. It makes no sense at all.”

— Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader (CNN)

“About 83% of the American people, including majority Democrats, support voter ID laws.”

— Jake Tapper, CNN Host (CNN)

“We have the voter ID laws that, first, each state can have its own voter ID laws, and some do and some don't. But secondly, what they are proposing in this so-called SAVE Act is like Jim Crow 2.0. They make it so hard to get any kind of voter ID that more than 20 million legitimate people, mainly poor people and people of color, will not be able to vote under this law. We will not let it pass in the Senate. We are fighting it tooth and nail. It's an outrageous proposal that is, you know, that shows the sort of political bias of the MAGA right. They don't want poor people to vote. They don't want people of color to vote because they often don't vote for them.”

— Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader (CNN)

What’s next

Schumer and other Democrats have vowed to fight the proposed 'SAVE Act' voting legislation in the Senate, setting up a potential partisan battle over voting rights.

The takeaway

Schumer's comments reflect the deep partisan divide over voting laws and access to the ballot box, with Democrats accusing Republicans of trying to suppress the votes of poor and minority voters. This issue is likely to remain a flashpoint in American politics.