Two of the most prominent New York Democrats will have the ear of President-elect Joe Biden when he returns to Washington: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
On the day of President Barack Obama’s inauguration to his second term, then-Vice President Biden delivered a toast before all the lawmakers present at a congressional inaugural luncheon.
The luncheon was hosted by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, chaired by Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.).
“I raise my glass to a man who never, never, never operates out of fear, only operates out of confidence — and I’m toasting you, Chuck,” Biden said, as it was clear the New York Democrat did not realize he was the one being toasted.
“And a guy who I plan on working with — you can’t get rid of me, man. Remember, I’m still part of the Senate,” the vice president remarked, noting his decades in the upper chamber of Congress.
The moment, while not particularly unique, offered a window into the working relationship between the president-elect and the New York Democrat.
“They’re both creatures of the Senate and deeply love its rhythms and its history and when it works. I think he and former Senator, former Vice President Biden respect and understand each other’s skills and background and character,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), a close Biden ally who sits in the president-elect’s former Senate seat, told the Albany Times Union of their relationship last month.
“Their spouses have a good relationship. They talk regularly,” he added.
Reached by The Post, a Schumer spokesman confirmed that the Democratic leaders’ longtime relationship was both personal and professional.
While it remains unclear if the 46th commander-in-chief will govern with a Democrat- or Republican-led Senate, there is no doubt his work will be done in tandem with Schumer, who plans to remain in his post as the top-ranking Senate Democrat.
Asked by the Times Union about his relationship with the president-elect prior to Election Day, Schumer offered nothing but praise.
“[Biden is] very heavily involved in helping us take back the Senate. I’ve asked him to help me certain ways with some of our candidates and he has, very willingly and easily.”
“He always told me, ‘I’m a Senate guy, I’m a Senate guy. I’ll never forget the Senate.’ And he tells me that now, by the way,” he explained.
As for their relationship before Biden’s ascent to the vice presidency, Schumer was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1980, eight years after Biden was first elected to the Senate.
It wasn’t until 1993, however, that the two began their professional relationship.
Schumer explained to the paper that he turned to Biden, then the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, for help on gun reform legislation.
“That’s how we really got to know each other, bonded over those kinds of bills,” he told the paper, adding that their work together on gun reform resulted in the Brady Bill, which mandated federal background checks for firearm purchases.
Five years later, Schumer joined Biden in the Senate and began to rise up the ranks of Senate leadership.
When Biden became vice president, his duties included being president of the Senate. At the time, Schumer was a part of Democratic leadership behind former Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.).
In his duties as VP, Biden worked with Reid and Schumer on multiple major legislative efforts, including the Affordable Care Act, and essentially acted as an intermediary between the Obama administration and the Senate.
“In the Obama administration, Joe Biden was the go-to guy between the White House and the Senate, and even the House. When there was an issue that came up that needed resolving, it would be Joe Biden. And who would be the one or two people he would talk to right off the bat? Chuck Schumer. I think they’ve had a very strong relationship,” former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), a close ally of Biden who worked with both men in the Senate, told the Times Union.
Schumer is not the only prominent New York Democrat who will have the president-elect on speed dial.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has long had a professional rapport with Biden, but their relationship evolved into a far more personal one in recent years.
In 2015, according to the New York Times, Cuomo earned himself “Biden’s lasting appreciation, and helped cement a personal friendship” when the two discussed the then-VP mulling a run for the presidency in the 2016 cycle.
For months, Biden spoke to Cuomo as he considered whether he would enter the race, which at that point was dominated by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Biden appreciated Cuomo’s counsel as he considered his options, according to the paper, and it impacted their political relationship going forward.
At the time, both men were in mourning, Biden for his son Beau and Cuomo for his father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo, both of whom had passed away that year.
In terms of their political alliance, Biden came to Cuomo’s aid when the moderate Democrat faced an energized primary challenge from actor and progressive activist Cynthia Nixon in 2018, campaigning across the state for the incumbent.
Just one year later, Cuomo became an early supporter of the vice president joining the 2020 field.
“When one of them needs something, it’s automatic. It’s not a calculation,” a person familiar with their relationship told Axios last month.