Chuck Schumer has earned the chance to do something exceedingly rare in Washington: recognize the right moment to step aside. After helping Democrats regain the Senate majority on a difficult electoral map, he should announce plans to leave Democratic leadership in January 2028.

This is not an argument that Schumer failed during the midterm elections. Quite the opposite. His party won, giving him an opportunity to pass power to a new generation from a position of undeniable strength.

There is wisdom in leaving while still on top. John Elway retired after winning back to back Super Bowls, Oprah Winfrey ended her talk show after 25 seasons, and George Mitchell left Senate leadership before helping bring peace to Northern Ireland.

Schumer has spent his career mastering the rules, relationships and rituals of the Senate. He has guided major legislation through a narrowly divided chamber, recruited candidates who prevailed in states Republicans expected to hold and helped deliver an electoral rout that few anticipated.

His critics within the Democratic caucus have legitimate complaints, but this is not primarily about relitigating his shortcomings. It is about whether Schumer can strengthen his legacy by becoming a bridge to the party’s next generation of leaders.

The next two years will feature presidential vetoes, spending clashes and repeated confrontations with President Donald Trump. Schumer’s legacy will depend partly on those battles, but also on whether he prepares Democrats to build a sustainable majority.

Congressional leaders have stepped aside without surrendering their influence. Nancy Pelosi left House Democratic leadership after two decades, remained in Congress for another four years and made room for Hakeem Jeffries, who is poised to become the nation’s first Black speaker.

Mitch McConnell followed a similar course after nearly two decades leading Senate Republicans. He gave up the leadership post while retaining his Senate seat and described knowing when to move on as one of life’s most underappreciated talents.

Schumer, 75, can make the same choice. His Senate term continues through January 2029, so relinquishing his leadership title would not require him to abandon his voice, his relationships or his ability to advise Democratic colleagues.

He should serve one more year as majority leader, organize the new Senate, manage the opening battles with Trump and help prepare whoever comes next. Then, in January 2028, he should hand leadership to the successor chosen by the Democratic caucus.

That timetable would give the next leader almost a full year to establish a record before the 2028 elections. Announcing the plan now would allow prospective candidates to make their cases, senators to consider their options and the party to arrange an orderly transition.

Some Democrats will argue that revealing an exit date would weaken Schumer. Yet he would still possess the votes, relationships and authority attached to the majority leader’s office, while his colleagues would have clarity about when the next chapter begins.

The party also has a broader representation problem to consider. Trump grew up in Queens, Jeffries grew up in Brooklyn, and Schumer is Brooklyn born and bred, concentrating an extraordinary amount of political power among three men raised in New York City.

That concentration looks especially awkward after Democrats won in Kansas, Iowa, South Carolina and North Carolina, among other red and purple states. The incoming Democratic senators represent different experiences and political instincts, and several have already rejected Schumer’s leadership bid.

South Carolina’s Annie Andrews, Minnesota’s Peggy Flanagan, Illinois’ Juliana Stratton, Maine’s Troy Jackson and Kansas’ Adam Hamilton have said they will not support him. Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed wants to see “who else is willing to put their hat in the ring.”

Sitting senators are raising similar concerns. Michigan’s Elissa Slotkin has called for a “new generation” of leadership throughout the Democratic Party, reflecting the pressure for change even after Schumer helped deliver victory.

Schumer’s allies have a powerful response: Leaders do not normally get replaced after winning. His recruitment, fundraising and political judgment helped produce the Democratic triumph, and on Wednesday he declared, “I’ll be re-elected as majority leader.”

He may indeed win another term. But securing that term does not require serving every day of it, particularly when a planned transition could protect the majority and give Democrats time to choose his successor.

Schumer’s old LG flip phone has become an apt symbol of his proudly analog political style. He knows the institution better than nearly anyone, but the Democrats arriving in Washington have different ideas about how the party should fight.

Winning proved that Schumer still knows how to lead Democrats to victory. Planning a graceful departure would prove that he also understands when his party needs room to change, and when a leader has accomplished enough.