Van Hollen challenges Schumer for Senate majority leader
Photo: ABC News (file photo)Just over a week after Democrats swept the midterm elections, Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland announced Thursday he will challenge Sen. Chuck Schumer for Senate majority leader — turning a week of open grumbling about Schumer's leadership into a formal contest that will help set the party's direction for the final two years of President Donald Trump's term.
Van Hollen, 67, made his run official in a November 12 interview with MS NOW host Jen Psaki, days after telling CNN that seeking the job was "not my focus" and that he was also weighing a 2028 presidential campaign. "This is not about any one individual, but it is about answering the call of the American people," he said, calling his candidacy a response to the "huge outburst of democracy" in the midterms.
"The call was really to reject the status quo and to reject business as usual," Van Hollen added. "And to do that, I think we need new leadership."
The closed-ballot leadership election is scheduled for December 1. The winner will need the support of a majority of the 55- to 56-member Democratic caucus. Democrats flipped eight Senate seats in the midterms and will enter January with at least 55 senators, a much stronger showing than expected — and one that has not quieted longstanding frustrations among liberals with Schumer, who has led the Senate Democratic caucus since 2017.
Van Hollen said he would be different from Schumer because he would use the "full power" of the Senate to respond to voters' desires to end the war in Iran and lower the cost of living. He also promised he would not intervene in primaries for open Senate seats, as Schumer has — a pointed critique of Schumer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which he said sided with the crypto industry and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee against candidates this cycle.
"We have two members in that room, newly elected senators, who would not be there if Schumer and the DSCC had had their way," Van Hollen said Tuesday at a post-election Democratic conference in Washington.
Schumer, 75, responded the same day, saying he remains confident he has the support to stay leader. "I welcome any discussion about the future of our caucus and the important work ahead," he said in a 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." He told reporters Tuesday he was confident he would be elected majority leader, adding that there was "great unity" among Senate Democrats.
Van Hollen conceded he is the "underdog." Pressed by Psaki about how many commitments he had, he said he had "more than 10" but expressed confidence his support could grow now that colleagues know he is running. He said he has talked to most Senate Democrats and believes the race "is very much in flux."
His announcement immediately split the caucus. Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan, who had suggested for weeks he could back Van Hollen if he ran, swiftly pledged his support, as did Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats. Sanders, who held a news conference Tuesday with Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan in which both said they wanted a new leader, said he has known Schumer for more than 30 years and likes him, "but in my view, the time is now for change, and I will not be supporting Chuck to be reelected as the Democratic leader." Incoming Democratic senators Adam Hamilton of Kansas, Troy Jackson of Maine, Annie Andrews of South Carolina and Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota have also said they want new leadership.
Schumer, meanwhile, drew a swift endorsement from Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats. "Chuck has outlined an aggressive plan for the new Democratic majority which is directly responsive to the message we heard from the voters, and he has the experience and unique mastery of the Senate process to make it happen," King said in a statement. Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona defended Schumer on the strength of the midterm results — "When the manager takes you to the World Series, you give them another contract" — and Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada also backed him.
Van Hollen has served in the Senate since 2017 after 14 years in the House, and has held multiple leadership roles, including chairing both chambers' campaign arms — making him a somewhat unlikely candidate to carry an anti-establishment banner. But his national profile has grown considerably over the past two years. He drew the administration's ire early on when he traveled to El Salvador to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who had been mistakenly deported there. He has also leaned into criticism of the Israeli government, accusing it of "ethnic cleansing" in Gaza and calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "wanted war criminal," at a time when Democrats have grown increasingly divided over Israel's war in Gaza.
Schumer has been accused by liberals of not fighting hard enough against Trump, and he is also a longtime supporter of the U.S.-Israeli relationship as many Democrats have become more skeptical of Israel amid its war with Hamas. The 75-year-old also faces the prospect of a primary challenge — potentially from New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — if he runs for reelection in 2028.
Sources: CNN, "Chris Van Hollen launches challenge against Chuck Schumer to lead Senate Democrats" (Nov. 12, 2026, full text verified); USA Today, "Chris Van Hollen challenges Chuck Schumer to lead Senate Democrats" (Nov. 12, 2026, full text verified); Reuters, "Chris Van Hollen announces run for US Senate majority leader, challenging Schumer" (Nov. 12, 2026, full text verified). Event date verified: Thursday, November 12, 2026 (announcement); leadership vote December 1, 2026.
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