The Democrats who want Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer gone are striking out in their early search for who could replace him.

Why it matters: Progressive critics are united in their fury at Schumer, who's led Senate Democrats since 2017. But they're missing two critical ingredients: A clear path to his ouster, and a Democratic senator who'd want the job.

• National progressive groups floated Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) as a possible Schumer replacement late last week.
• Van Hollen isn't pursuing Schumer's job, a source familiar told us, but he does want a "serious discussion on how to more effectively fight back" against President Trump.

Between the lines: Van Hollen has quietly been building his national profile, and some progressives want him to run for president. Progressives say they are open to other leadership hopefuls.

• Talking points privately circulated by the progressive groups last week argued Van Hollen is "uniquely prepared for this moment."
• Van Hollen spoke at a private gathering of national Indivisible leaders in Washington in June, a source said — a sign he has higher ambitions.

The big picture: "There's no expectation that Democratic senators call the question on Schumer right now," Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, told us today.

• "The conversation is started, the conversation is legitimized and the conversation is moving forward, and the last people to accept the point will be those closest to Chuck Schumer, including some of his fellow senators," Green said.
• Green pointed to Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), both of whom have steered clear of Schumer criticism following the end of the shutdown.

The bottom line: Green likened the current moment to when figures like Ezra Klein and Jon Stewart got "the conversation going about [former President Biden's] suitability to be the standard-bearer as president."

— Stephen Neukam and Holly Otterbein

Trump's stunning reversal on the Epstein discharge petition has undercut months of work by Speaker Mike Johnson.

Why it matters: The Epstein issue has plagued the House since the summer. Now the speaker is about to suffer a clear defeat over Reps. Thomas Massie's (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna's (D-Calif.) discharge petition.

• Johnson cut the week short before the August recess after Democrats forced multiple votes on releasing the files. He then kept the House out of session for nearly two months — a move that, intentionally or not, delayed the discharge petition from reaching the floor.
• "What I am opposed to is the reckless disregard that was used in drafting this discharge petition," Johnson told reporters on Wednesday.
• Tomorrow's vote is expected to pick up significant GOP support, including from Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), the highest-ranking woman in the House GOP leadership.

Zoom in: Johnson's posture about the legislation hasn't changed, a source familiar with his thinking told us.

• But after months of railing against it, he opened the door today to supporting it.
• "My support will be conditioned upon an agreement in the Senate that if indeed they process it, they've got to fix the terrible provisions in it," Johnson told reporters, adding that he hasn't worked to kill the bill.

Between the lines: Johnson opposed the effort since its inception and privately urged his members to stay clear of it.

• He's called the petition "moot," arguing that the House Oversight Committee's investigation into late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will yield more information.
• He's insisted the bill does not adequately protect Epstein's victims, though it directs the DOJ to redact identifying details and child sexual abuse materials.

The bottom line: Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) predicted the vote would be 400 something to zero.

— Kate Santaliz and Hans Nichols

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries faces a potential primary challenger, just weeks after he told us the idea was not a "serious question."

• New York City Council member Chi Ossé, a 27-year-old ally of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, filed paperwork today to run for Jeffries' Brooklyn-based congressional seat.

Why it matters: Ossé blamed top Democratic officials for "not only failing to effectively fight back against Donald Trump, they have also failed to deliver a vision that we can all believe in."

• Ossé recently joined the Democratic Socialists of America and was a Black Lives Matter organizer before his election to the city council.

Between the lines: Axios was first to report Ossé was considering a bid against Jeffries.

• When we asked Jeffries in October about a possible challenge from Ossé, the Democratic leader replied, "If you ask me a serious question, I'll give you a serious answer."
• "Come on in, the water's warm," Jeffries said today of a primary challenge.

— Andrew Solender and Holly Otterbein

Rahm Emanuel won the back of the room at a donor retreat last weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, for the ModSquad PAC, which raises cash for moderate Democrats.

• The group is helmed by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), one of eight Democrats who voted to reopen the government this month.

Why it matters: Rahm's new fan wasn't one of the couple hundred D.C. donors, lobbyists or congressional staff. He was the audio tech handling Emanuel's microphone at the upscale Kimpton The Forum Hotel, according to attendees.

• The younger worker broke into applause after Emanuel made his case for why the current political system is rigged and is hurting younger Americans the most.
• Initially, Emanuel was confused. "I thought something was wrong with my mic," Emanuel said, confirming the story. "A room of 300 people and one guy in the back is clapping."
• "I was talking about how the American dream is broken, how we took care of ourselves and we pulled up the ladder," he said. "And they feel like we broke the contract."

— Hans Nichols