Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said Thursday he will challenge Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer for majority leader, escalating a debate over who should lead Democrats after their sweeping midterm victories.
“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.
Van Hollen has previously criticized Schumer for not taking a more aggressive stand against the Trump administration and his ties to Israel. His challenge quickly drew support from progressive Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed (D-Mi.).
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Schumer, however, told the Scripps News Group this week that he expects to remain Democratic leader when Senate Democrats hold their internal elections Dec. 1.
“I have the votes to continue serving as Democratic Leader,” Schumer said in a statement released Thursday night.
Before Van Hollen announced his intent to challenge the top Senate Democrat, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who chaired Senate Democrats' campaign arm for the 2026 midterm elections, enthusiastically defended Schumer in remarks to reporters on Capitol Hill Tuesday.
“You will see, despite all the grumblings, enormous gratitude for the hard work he has done to get us to this position,” Gillibrand said. “We’re about to win 9 Senate seats, NINE! That has never happened in my political history.”
Democrats are facing a similar debate in the House, where Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries is positioned to become the first Black speaker in U.S. history.
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More than 1.1 million people have signed an online petition calling for Democrats to rally behind another candidate, but Jeffries retains significant support among House Democrats following the party’s decisive midterm victory.
“To sit here and say that he should not be the leader is reckless and irresponsible,” Rep. Shomari Figures of Alabama, who was re-elected last week in a district that had been redrawn to be more favorable to Republicans, told the Scripps News Group Wednesday.
House Democrats are expected to choose their nominee for speaker next week, ahead of the formal House vote in January.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) announced Thursday he would run for Senate Majority Leader in the upcoming 120th Congress.
His candidacy sets up a challenge to the incumbent Senate leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who serves as minority leader in the current Republican-led Congress and who was the favorite to continue leadership for Democrats in the chamber during the next Congress.
