Secret-ballot vote in early December will decide Democratic leadership
Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said Thursday that he will challenge Chuck Schumer of New York for Senate majority leader, setting off a contest over the party’s leadership days after its sweeping midterm victories. Van Hollen made the announcement in a statement, saying voters sent a clear message in the midterms: that they want “change from the status quo.”
“It’s now on us to meet this moment, and to do that we need new leadership,” Van Hollen said. “This is not about any one person — it’s about answering the call of the American people. That is why I’m running for Senate Majority Leader.”
Schumer responded on social media. “I welcome any discussion about the future of our caucus and the important work ahead. 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 wrote following Van Hollen’s announcement. “I look forward to leading our new Democratic majority and delivering for the American people.”
Even as Schumer has maintained that he has the votes to become majority leader, resistance inside the Democratic caucus has been growing. Earlier this week, Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent who aligns with Democrats, said he would oppose Schumer. Sanders made the announcement next to Michigan Democrat Elissa Slotkin, who did not say outright that she would oppose Schumer but told reporters, “I am seeking change.”
Several incoming Democratic lawmakers have added their opposition to Schumer’s bid for majority leader, among them Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota and Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed. “I deeply appreciate Senator Schumer,” El-Sayed told NPR this week. “But this is about leadership for the American public, and if all we do is kind of go back to what we’ve been doing in a moment where we’ve been given a mandate, I worry that we may not earn our mandate.”
Van Hollen’s announcement lands amid calls from progressive activists, as well as some Democratic lawmakers, for Schumer, 75, to be replaced as party leader. Schumer has led Senate Democrats since 2017, but drew the ire of many inside the Democratic base for not taking a tougher stance against President Trump during a fight over government funding in early 2025.
Public backing for Schumer has come from multiple Democrats as well, among them Arizona’s Ruben Gallego, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Maryland’s Angela Alsobrooks.
Van Hollen, 67, was elected to the Senate in 2016 after spending more than a decade in the House representing a Maryland suburb outside Washington, D.C. One of his party’s more progressive members, he gained national attention last year for lobbying to secure the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia after Garcia was wrongfully deported to a prison in El Salvador.
Democrats will elect their leader by secret ballot in early December. Whoever wins will preside over a majority of 55 seats, though that number could grow to 56 depending on the final tally in the U.S. Senate race in Alaska.