Van Hollen Challenges Schumer for Senate Majority Leader

Detailed summary

The senator from Maryland answered calls from progressives for new Democratic leadership, but Schumer insists he has the votes to stay in charge of the caucus.

Chris Van Hollen will challenge Chuck Schumer for Senate Majority Leader in the new Congress, marking the first time in decades that the race will be contested.

Announcing his run on Thursday evening, the Democratic senator for Maryland said his challenge was “not about any one individual” but about “answering the call of the American people.”

“In this election, the American people called for change. They called for a change from Donald Trump’s disastrous policies — but even bigger than that, a change from the status quo that isn’t working for working people,” Van Hollen said in a statement on social media. “It’s now on us to meet this moment, and to do that we need new leadership.”

Van Hollen’s announcement comes amid calls from grassroots groups and several Democratic politicians for a shake-up in the party’s leadership. Detractors have accused Schumer of being too willing to compromise and not forceful enough in confronting President Donald Trump. Others have credited him with the Democrats’ sweeping success in the midterm elections, which saw the party win a majority in both chambers of Congress. Van Hollen, a progressive Democrat, previously said he was considering running for President in 2028. Both he and Schumer are up for re-election in 2028.

In response to Van Hollen’s announcement, Schumer, a senator for New York who has led the Democratic caucus in the upper chamber since 2017, asserted that he has enough votes to win.

“I welcome any discussion about the future of our caucus and the important work ahead. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together—55 seats and counting is an amazing result—and I have the votes to continue serving as Democratic Leader,” Schumer posted. “I look forward to leading our new Democratic majority and delivering for the American people.”

Senate Democrats are due for a closed-door vote on Dec. 1 on who will be their Senate Majority Leader when the new congress convenes on Jan. 4.

Van Hollen was elected to the Senate in 2016 to succeed…

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