In the long rhythm of a party deciding who will hold its voice, a senator who had once dreamed of the presidency set that dream aside in Denver and reached instead for the Senate's leadership. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, moved by the broad Democratic victories of November, now challenges Chuck Schumer of New York in a secret ballot set for December 1, a contest the count suggests Schumer is likely to win. At its heart lies a question as old as opposition itself: whether a party should risk a shutdown to end a war, or protect its fresh majority from disorder and wait for stronger ground.
Van Hollen Forgoes 2028 Run to Challenge Schumer for Senate Democratic Leader
In the long rhythm of a party deciding who will hold its voice, a senator who had once dreamed of the presidency set that dream aside in Denver and reached instead for the Senate's leadership. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, moved by the broad Democratic victories of November, now challenges Chuck Schumer of New York in a secret ballot set for December 1, a contest the count suggests Schumer is likely to win. At its heart lies a question as old as opposition itself: whether a party should risk a shutdown to end a war, or protect its fresh majority from disorder and wait for stronger ground.
On Friday in Denver, Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland told a gathering of Democrats that he would not seek the presidency in 2028. He was setting that goal aside to challenge Senator Chuck Schumer of New York for the job of Senate Democratic leader. He had announced the challenge only the night before, and he framed it as a response to the sweeping Democratic wins of November 3, which he said called the chamber to something more than business as usual.
Van Hollen describes himself as the underdog, and the numbers support that. Schumer has led Senate Democrats since 2016 and helped rebuild the party's path back to the majority. Aides say he has already gathered enough commitments to win another term. The secret ballot is set for December 1, and Van Hollen claims more than ten supporters, though he is widely believed to be well behind. Some support has emerged publicly, including from Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon and from Peggy Flanagan, the senator-elect from Minnesota, who called Van Hollen the fighter the party needs. Many other senators are staying quiet.
The sharpest disagreement is over the war in Iran. Van Hollen wants Democrats to refuse all military funding, even if that forces a government shutdown when spending authority expires on December 11. Schumer says he intends to end the war but is still weighing how to handle the money. One option under discussion is a temporary extension with limits on military spending, running until early 2027, when Democrats will hold the majority and may have more leverage. Many senators fear a holiday shutdown would be hard to end and would derail their plans for January.
Some Democrats have privately urged moving the leadership vote earlier to spare the party weeks of internal conflict. Meanwhile, there is broad agreement on one change: placing the newly elected members at the center of the party's public message, a shift in an institution where newcomers have long been seen and not heard. Whether the vote is moved up, and how the December 11 deadline unfolds, will show where the party is heading.
On Friday, in Denver, at a Democratic gathering about the party's future, Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland told the room he would not run for president in 2028. He said he was setting that ambition aside to concentrate on a more immediate fight: unseating Senator Chuck Schumer of New York as the Senate Democratic leader. He had announced the challenge only the night before.
Van Hollen pointed to the sweeping Democratic wins of Nov. 3 as his reason. The size of the new majorities, he said, gives the Senate a chance to answer the call of the American people, and he argued the country is at an important moment where the chamber cannot go back to business as usual. Some Democrats had suggested he was entering the race to raise his profile and court progressive voters before 2028. He said that was not the case.
He described himself as the underdog, and the count appears to bear that out. Schumer has led Senate Democrats since 2016 and was a key architect and funder of the effort to retake the Senate. Aides said that even before Van Hollen entered, Schumer had gathered enough commitments from colleagues to win another two-year term. Van Hollen says he has more than 10 backers, but he is believed to be well behind. The vote is a secret ballot, set for Dec. 1.
He did pick up public support on Friday. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, who is in line to chair the Environment and Public Works Committee, said on social media that he had watched Van Hollen rally support for the people against the powerful time and again. Peggy Flanagan, the senator-elect from Minnesota, also endorsed him online, calling him the leader and fighter needed for real change. She was among the newly elected members who campaigned on calls for new leadership. Progressive activists and some labor groups are stepping up their efforts for him, yet many senators are staying quiet in public, since the vote is private and silence keeps them out of the line of fire.
The sharpest policy difference is the war in Iran. Van Hollen wants Democrats to refuse support for any money for the military operation, even if that means a government shutdown when current spending authority expires on Dec. 11. Under current leadership, he said in Denver, Democrats are unwilling to use the most important power they have to end a war, which is to defund it.
Schumer has not adopted that approach. He has said he intends to force an end to the war, but he and other leading Democrats are still working out how to handle the funding. One option under discussion is a temporary extension with some restrictions on military money, running until early 2027, when Democrats will hold the majority and likely have more leverage against the Trump administration. Although the war is unpopular and helped drive the election sweep, many Democratic senators worry about a broad shutdown heading into the holidays. They fear it would be hard to end and would disrupt plans for an aggressive start to the new majority in January.
Some Democrats have privately suggested holding the leadership election before Dec. 1 so the party is not mired in an internal fight for weeks. Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii, unopposed for the No. 2 leadership post, endorsed Schumer on Thursday, saying there is no time to waste and the party must vote, unify and get to work. With the field apparently set, Democrats could vote to move the election up.
One idea is drawing wide agreement: putting the new members at the center of the party's public message, a notable change in an institution where newcomers are traditionally neither seen nor heard. Senator Peter Welch of Vermont said the energy comes from the success of the new members and they should be front and center.
Two things to watch: whether the vote is moved earlier, and how the funding deadline of Dec. 11 plays out.
Vuoi la storia completa?
Leggi l'originale su The New York Times ↗