Chris Van Hollen’s Chances of Beating Chuck Schumer to Become Senate Leader

Detailed summary

Schumer said he "welcomed" discussion on who would become next Senate Leader after Van Hollen announced he would run on Thursday.

Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen has announced he will challenge Chuck Schumer for the role of Senate majority leader following the Democrats' sweeping success during the midterm elections.

The Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress as the U.S. heads into the final two years of President Donald Trump's second term. They will hold at least 55 Senate seats after gaining eight, their largest midterm pickup in the chamber since 1986. Alaska is the only remaining Senate race left to be called.

Van Hollen, who has held his Senate seat since 2017, formerly represented Maryland in the House between 2003 and 2017.

"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," he said in a statement posted on social media. "It’s now on us to meet this moment, and to do that we need new leadership. This is not about any one person—it’s about answering the call of the American people. That is why I’m running for Senate Majority Leader."

Schumer, the current minority leader who has led the Democratic caucus since 2017, will be running for his third go at majority leader.

“I welcome any discussion about the future of our caucus and the important work ahead,” Schumer wrote on social media, minutes after Van Hollen posted his statement. “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. I look forward to leading our new Democratic majority and delivering for the American people.”

Whoever bags the top job will become the leading spokesperson and strategist for Senate Democrats, setting party priorities, negotiating with the minority leader, and deciding which bills come up for debate and votes.

Democrats are due to vote on their Senate leader on December 1, with a simple majority needed to secure the job.

For now, Schumer…

Opening of the article, excerpted from Newsweek. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.