WASHINGTON (The Thursday Times) — Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland has said he will challenge Chuck Schumer to lead the Senate Democrats in the new Congress, setting up the first contested race for the party’s Senate leadership in decades after Democrats won control of both chambers in the midterm elections.
“The American people called for change,” Van Hollen, 67, said in a statement. “It’s now on us to meet this moment, and to do that we need new leadership. This is not about any one person — it’s about answering the call of the American people.”
Schumer, 75, who has led Senate Democrats since 2017, said he welcomed “any discussion about the future of our caucus”. “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.
The vote will be held by secret ballot behind closed doors in early December. The winner will take over as majority leader when the new Congress meets on January 4.
Who is backing whom
Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, and Michigan’s senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed have both endorsed Van Hollen. Sanders said Van Hollen would “stand up to powerful special interests, take on the billionaire class and fight for working families”. El-Sayed said the new majority needed “bold leadership”.
Several senators have stood by Schumer. Jacky Rosen of Nevada said he had “the experience and the fight to continue leading our diverse caucus at this crucial moment”. Angus King of Maine, another independent who caucuses with the Democrats, asked: “Why would you fire the manager when you just won the World Series?”
Van Hollen has positioned himself on the party’s left. In 2024 he backed restricting weapons shipments to Israel and criticised the Biden administration over the war in Gaza, and he has criticised Schumer over his ties to Israel. He has acknowledged that he is the “underdog”, but said the race was “very much in flux”.
Schumer is still seen as the favourite. He recruited and raised money for many of the party’s winning candidates, and this week set out a plan for the first 100 days that includes healthcare and tariff legislation and efforts to stop the Iran war, according to reports. On the Republican side, senators kept John Thune as their leader despite the midterm losses.
