Chris Van Hollen announces bid to unseat Chuck Schumer as US Senate majority leader

Detailed summary

Senator from Maryland announces his challenge to leadership as longtime Democratic leader Chuck Schumer faces demands from progressive Democrats to make changes.

Senator Chris Van Hollen has said that he is running for Senate majority leader, challenging longtime Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.

"In this election, Americans called on us to unrig an economy rigged against working people & fueled by political corruption," Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, said on X on Thursday.

"To deliver, we need new leadership. This isn't about any one person – it's about answering that call," he said. "That's why I'm running for Senate Majority Leader."

The announcement comes after Democrats won control of the Senate in the November 3 midterm elections. The party will take over the majority when the next Congress begins in January.

Both Schumer in the Senate and Hakeem Jeffries in the House are facing resistance from progressive lawmakers demanding generational change.

The opposition has emerged despite Democrats' decisive electoral gains, which handed them control of both chambers for the first time since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

In the Senate, Schumer has led the Democratic caucus for nearly a decade.

The 75-year-old New Yorker's establishment credentials have become a liability among critics who see his leadership as out of step with younger voters and the party's progressive wing, fuelling demands for generational change.

The pressure intensified on Tuesday when independent Senator Bernie Sanders announced that he would not support Schumer's reelection as Democratic leader.

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