Van Hollen challenges Schumer for Senate Democratic leadership

Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland announced Thursday that he will challenge Sen. Chuck Schumer for Senate majority leader, turning a debate over the Democrats’ direction into a contest for the party’s top job in the chamber.

“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,” Van Hollen said in a statement.

“It’s now on us to meet this moment, and to do that we need new leadership,” he added. “This is not about any one person — it’s about answering the call of the American people.”

Schumer, who has led Senate Democrats since 2017, said he has the votes to remain leader. “I welcome any discussion about the future of our caucus and the important work ahead,” the New York senator wrote on X. “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.” He said he looked forward to leading the new Democratic majority.

Democrats will choose their leaders in a closed-door vote in December, before they regain the Senate majority in January. A candidate needs a simple majority of the caucus to win, according to NBC News. The Guardian described the contest as the first contested election for Democratic leader in decades.

Van Hollen, 67, entered the race after grassroots progressives and some newly elected Democratic senators sought an alternative to Schumer, NBC News reported. Schumer, 75, remains favored to retain the leadership post, the network said. The Guardian reported that many senators have declined to say publicly how they will vote.

According to NBC News, Van Hollen plans to press the new Democratic majority to use every available tool to end the Iran war, beginning with a government funding measure needed to avert a December shutdown. His proposals also include reversing Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” reducing the role of money in politics and tackling corruption.

The contest has drawn views from across the caucus. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, credited Schumer’s “strategic leadership” and predicted “enormous gratitude” for his work, CBS News reported. Schumer recruited many of the party’s winning candidates and raised money for them, according to The Guardian, though some winners, including Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed, did not initially have his support.

Sen. Bernie Sanders said he would not support Schumer’s reelection despite knowing and liking him for more than 30 years. “In my view, the time is now for change,” Sanders said, calling for “a vigorous debate about the direction of the Democratic Party.” Sen. Elissa Slotkin said she was not seeking the job but wanted a candidate to offer a “concrete plan that’s definitively different,” CBS News reported.

Van Hollen joined the Senate in 2017 after serving in the House beginning in 2003. Schumer was first elected to the House in 1980 and moved to the Senate in 1999, according to NBC News. Both have decades of experience in Congress, but their colleagues must now decide who will lead them in the next session.