Van Hollen Launches Long-Shot Challenge to Schumer for Senate Democratic Leadership

On Thursday, Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen went on MS NOW and said he would run against New York Sen. Chuck Schumer for the top job among Senate Democrats. He called the bid a response to what he described as a "huge outburst of democracy" in the midterms. The message from voters, he said, was to reject business as usual, and that meant new leadership. He added that it was not about any one individual.

The timing is awkward for the incumbent. Democrats have flipped eight seats so far and will start January with at least 55 senators, a far stronger result than expected. But that result has not settled the longstanding frustration many liberals feel toward Schumer, who has led the caucus since 2017. The leadership election is by closed ballot on December 1, and Schumer needs only a majority of his caucus to win. Several returning Democrats, and most of the incoming freshmen, have declined to endorse him publicly.

Schumer answered on X, saying he welcomed any discussion about the caucus's future, that 55 seats and counting was an amazing result, and that he has the votes to continue as leader. On Tuesday he told reporters he was confident he would be elected and that there was great unity among Democrats. Van Hollen disputes that picture. He said he has spoken to most Senate Democrats and considers the race very much in flux. Pressed by host Jen Psaki on his count, he said he has more than 10 commitments and expects more now that colleagues know he is running. He also conceded he is the underdog.

Van Hollen's path to this moment was not straight. On Saturday he told CNN that seeking the job was not his focus, noting he was also interested in running for president. By Thursday afternoon he said he was still actively listening to members. He is 67, has been in Congress for over two decades, and has held leadership roles, including House Democratic assistant to the leader and chair of both chambers' campaign arms, which makes him an unlikely anti-establishment standard-bearer. He has been in the Senate since 2017 and spent 14 years in the House before that. Over the past two years he has become a favorite of some progressives, partly for urging a more confrontational approach to President Trump and partly for criticizing Israel. He traveled to El Salvador to meet Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident mistakenly deported there. He has accused the Israeli government of "ethnic cleansing" in Gaza, called Netanyahu a "wanted war criminal," and denounced AIPAC's influence.

He says he would differ from Schumer by using the "full power" of the Senate to answer voters' wishes to end the Iran war and lower the cost of living, and he promises not to intervene in primaries for open Senate seats. That last point is his sharpest specific critique. On Tuesday he said two newly elected senators in the room would not be there had Schumer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee gotten their way, claiming those bodies sided with the crypto industry and AIPAC against the candidates. Van Hollen was the first Democratic senator to endorse Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan's primary, where El-Sayed beat Rep. Haley Stevens, who had Schumer's quiet backing, CNN previously reported. Schumer backed El-Sayed afterward.

El-Sayed became Van Hollen's first declared supporter among incoming freshmen. He told NPR that Van Hollen is willing to take risks when it matters, calling the Abrego Garcia trip a real risk. Bernie Sanders has also signaled he would back Van Hollen. At a Tuesday news conference with Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, Sanders said he has known Schumer for more than 30 years and likes him, but would not support his reelection as leader. Incoming Sens. Adam Hamilton of Kansas, Troy Jackson of Maine, Annie Andrews of South Carolina and Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota have likewise said they want new leadership. Hamilton said Schumer, fairly or not, is seen as divisive by many.

Schumer has defenders. Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine quickly endorsed him, citing an aggressive plan for the new majority and his mastery of Senate process. Arizona's Ruben Gallego put it in baseball terms: when the manager takes you to the World Series, you give him another contract. New York's Kirsten Gillibrand, who ran the campaign arm this cycle, said the caucus is grateful for his work. Mississippi's Scott Colom, set to be the state's first Black senator since Reconstruction, was less committal. He said Schumer understood the party had to look South but that it was not accurate to say Schumer recruited him. Asked whether he would back Schumer, he replied, "I don't know my options. What are my options?"

Schumer, 75, also faces a possible 2028 primary challenge, potentially from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, if he seeks reelection. The December 1 vote will show whether his support holds.