Van Hollen Enters the Race
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen announced Thursday that he will run for Senate Majority Leader in the next Congress, a move that sets up a direct challenge to Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. The announcement comes just after Democrats swept to power in the midterm elections.
In a statement, Van Hollen said the American people "called for change," and that this is why he is running. "It's now on us to meet this moment, and to do that we need new leadership," he said. "This is not about any one person — it's about answering the call of the American people."
The race will be the first contested election for Senate Democratic leader in decades. It will be decided by a closed-door, secret-ballot vote in early December.
Schumer Says He Has the Votes
Schumer has said he has the support he needs to win. "I'm going to win it," he told The Associated Press in an interview last week. After Van Hollen's announcement, he said in a statement that he welcomes any discussion about the caucus's future.
"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 said. He added that he looks forward to leading the new Democratic majority.
He has been making his case one senator at a time while shaping an agenda for 2027. In private caucus meetings this week, he opened discussion on a broad plan for the first 100 days in power, including health care and tariff legislation and efforts to stop the Iran war.
A Caucus Already Divided
The question of whether to keep Schumer had divided the caucus before Van Hollen ever got in. Many senators have declined to say in public how they will vote, and they have been weighing privately what message to take from the election.
Many are torn. Schumer recruited a lot of the party's winning candidates and raised money for them, yet progressive groups are pushing for him to be removed.
The tension has a history. A rift opened in the spring of 2025, when Schumer was put on the defensive after siding with Republicans on a spending vote. Since then, he has won back standing in his caucus by leading Democrats through last year's government shutdown and helping to engineer big election wins. Even so, many in the party's base are calling for generational change.
Van Hollen, 67, is not far behind Schumer, who is 75, but he has presented himself as a new face for the party. He has also said he is considering a run for president.
Who Is Backing Whom
Most Democratic senators have either said they back Schumer or remain undecided. Van Hollen has at least two supporters so far: Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan, who won a competitive race last week, and Bernie Sanders, the progressive standard bearer.
El-Sayed wrote on X that he called on Van Hollen in April to lead the caucus "because he leads with courage and experience," adding that the majority needs both right now. Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said at a press conference Tuesday that he would not support Schumer. On Thursday night, he wrote that Americans want a party that stands up to powerful special interests, takes on the billionaire class and fights for working families.
Van Hollen has not yet laid out his own agenda. He has, however, criticized Schumer over his ties to Israel and other special interests. Schumer has a long record of support for Israel, though he has also strongly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his handling of the war in Gaza.
The Case for Keeping Schumer
Several senators have said they are with Schumer, including incoming Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, who beat Republican Sen. Jon Husted last week. Supporters point to the election results, and they also say that being leader is a hard job that requires experience. They add that Schumer showed he could deliver when Democrats held the Senate under President Joe Biden.
"Why would you fire the manager when you just won the World Series?" wrote Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats and votes in the leadership election. He called Schumer one of the principal architects of the most successful election in modern history and said he saw no reason to change the leadership behind it.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada also said Thursday evening that she would back Schumer, saying he was key in "securing a historic majority."
What to Watch Next
Schumer remains the favorite, but Van Hollen's bid exposes a real split in the party. Over the coming weeks, the main things to watch are how many undecided senators commit, whether more progressives line up behind Van Hollen, and what he says about his own plans before the December vote.
