Chris Van Hollen is challenging Chuck Schumer for the leadership of Senate Democrats, launching an uphill battle to lead the chamber’s new majority after the party’s sweeping midterm victory.
Key Points
- Van Hollen challenges Schumer — the Maryland senator announced on Thursday that he will run for Senate majority leader.
- The contest will be decided by a closed, secret-ballot leadership election scheduled for 1 December.
- Schumer, 75, has led Senate Democrats since 2017 and says he has the votes to stay in the job.
- Democrats flipped eight seats in the midterms and will enter January with at least 55 senators.
Van Hollen, 67, made his run official in an interview on Thursday with MS NOW host Jen Psaki. “This is not about any one individual, but it is about answering the call of the American people,” he said, calling his candidacy a response to the “huge outburst of democracy” in the midterms. “The call was really to reject the status quo and to reject business as usual.”
He had teased a bid for days, and only on Saturday had told CNN that seeking the job was “not my focus”, noting that he was also interested in running for president. By Thursday afternoon he said he was “still actively listening to members” — and then announced he was in.
Why Van Hollen is running
Van Hollen said he would be different from Schumer because he would use the “full power” of the Senate to respond to what voters want: an end to the Iran war and a lower cost of living. He said the scale of the midterm victory — 55 Senate Democratic seats, and possibly 56 — “really gives us a mandate and the votes to do big things.”
He quickly received the support of one incoming Democratic freshman, Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan, who has suggested for weeks he could back Van Hollen if he ran. Van Hollen was the first Democratic senator to endorse El-Sayed in the Michigan Senate primary. Senator Bernie Sanders, who caucuses with the Democrats, said on Tuesday that he would not support Schumer, and earlier in the week Sanders and Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin held a joint news conference that put the leadership question squarely on the table.
Van Hollen acknowledged he is the underdog. He told MS NOW he had the support of more than 10 of the 55 Democratic senators, and he has long said Senate Democrats should have a debate over their next leader. He was elected to the Senate in 2016 after more than a decade in the House representing a Maryland suburb outside Washington.
Schumer’s response
Schumer moved fast to shut the challenge down. In a statement on Thursday, the 75-year-old New Yorker said: “I have the votes to continue serving as Democratic Leader. I look forward to leading our new Democratic majority and delivering for the American people.” He added that he was proud of what the party had accomplished together, calling “55 seats and counting” an amazing result.
The contest matters beyond personalities. The winner will lead the Democratic majority through the final two years of President Donald Trump’s administration, in what is already shaping up as a vicious tussle with the White House, and will shape the party’s identity heading into the 2028 presidential election. Senate Democrats have not held a contested leadership election since 1994, when Tom Daschle of South Dakota defeated Chris Dodd of Connecticut by a single vote. Schumer is a strong favourite, but unlike his Republican counterpart, Majority Leader John Thune — swiftly re-elected to head his party despite the GOP defeat — he will now face a race that could raise questions about his authority even if he wins.
For background on the Senate, see our report on the House shelving the Hegseth impeachment vote, and on the Senate passing the deal to end the longest government shutdown. More in our Politics section.
Sources: CNN, “Chris Van Hollen launches challenge against Chuck Schumer to lead Senate Democrats”; Reuters via KWSN, “Chris Van Hollen announces run for US Senate majority leader, challenging Schumer”.