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Senator Bernie Sanders said on Tuesday that he will not support Chuck Schumer to remain Senate Democratic leader in the new Congress. The Vermont independent made the statement at a Capitol news conference alongside Michigan Democrat Elissa Slotkin, and the two called for a new generation of leadership and a vigorous debate about the party's direction. Sanders said, "The time is now for change." Several incoming Democratic senators have signaled they would back another candidate over Schumer, and Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who is considering a run for Senate leader, said he was calling colleagues. Slotkin said she is not seeking the job herself and would not back anyone until they present a full plan for the new majority's priorities. The confrontation follows Democrats' sweep to power in the midterms, which flipped Republican-held seats beyond those first seen as competitive, including in Texas, Kansas and South Carolina. Schumer recruited candidates who helped win the majority, but his preferred candidates lost primaries in Michigan and Maine. Schumer, 75, said he is confident he will be elected and that the focus must be on getting things done. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, defended him, and Democratic Senate conversations about leadership are expected to conclude with elections later this month.