Another blow for Schumer as Democrats look to reclaim Senate

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats are stinging from a trio of high-profile failures to recruit candidates who could help reclaim the majority, including Stacey Abrams' announcement that she would pass up a U.S. Senate run in Georgia.

That decision, announced Tuesday, was a blow to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. After Abrams gained fame from her ultimately unsuccessful effort to become America's first black female governor last year, Schumer personally — and publicly — urged her to consider challenging GOP Sen. David Perdue. In a particularly notable move, he tapped her earlier this year to deliver the Democratic response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address.

Abrams follows former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper in spurning Senate Democratic leaders' entreaties to take on incumbent Republicans seen as potentially vulnerable. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock is likely to follow suit in rejecting a Senate run as he weighs whether to join O'Rourke and Hickenlooper on the 2020 presidential campaign trail.

Also Tuesday, a spokeswoman for Democratic Rep. Cindy Axne said the freshman would seek re-election next year for her southeast Iowa House seat. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Senate Democrats' campaign organization, had tried persuading Axne to run for U.S. Senate against GOP incumbent Joni Ernst, who will be seeking a second term.

The inability of Schumer and other Democrats to corral well-known candidates underscores that many of the party's biggest players are betting they'll have better futures outside Capitol Hill, where action can be slow — especially in the minority. It's also a sign of how tough Democrats will find their fight to regain control of the Senate next year, a steep climb that sparked glee from Republicans, who hold a...