Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said Sunday that he sees a “very open lane” to defeat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, arguing that some senators who once supported the New York Democrat are now backing his leadership challenge.
“We’re about 15 and growing,” Van Hollen said on ABC’s “This Week” when asked how many votes he had secured in his campaign to lead Senate Democrats.
The Maryland senator accused Schumer’s allies of circulating “a lot of misinformation” about the contest and attempting to discourage potential supporters from joining his effort.
Van Hollen also said Schumer’s team had distributed a list of senators expected to support the incumbent leader, but claimed the list included lawmakers who had already committed to voting for him.
“I can tell you that a number of those people on that list have actually committed to voting for me, and the others are very open to the idea of change,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Schumer has led Senate Democrats since 2017 and has said he has enough support to retain his leadership position.
Van Hollen, however, argued that Democrats need a new direction despite their strong showing in the midterm elections. He said voters had rejected President Trump’s policies but had not yet fully embraced the Democratic Party.
“They haven’t fully hired the Democrats. We’re given a chance. We need to earn people’s trust,” he told ABC’s Martha Raddatz.
The Maryland senator said Democrats cannot simply return to “business as usual.” Instead, he urged the party to embrace economic populism and confront an economy he described as “rigged in favor of the very wealthy,” as well as political corruption.
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Van Hollen’s challenge has faced skepticism from some Democrats, including Sen. Angus King of Maine, who has questioned why the party would replace its leader after winning the midterms.
Van Hollen rejected the idea that his campaign was simply a progressive pressure tactic aimed at pushing Schumer toward a more liberal agenda, including Medicare for All and the elimination of the legislative filibuster.
On the filibuster, Van Hollen said he would not immediately seek to abolish the Senate rule if elected leader, though he maintained that it should ultimately be reformed.
He described the rule as “undemocratic” because it enables a minority of senators to block legislation supported by a majority. At the same time, he said any changes should be considered by the entire Democratic caucus.
The Democratic Senate leadership election is scheduled for Dec. 1. Van Hollen accused Schumer’s allies of seeking to move the vote earlier in an effort to limit debate over the contest.
“If they really believed they were ahead, they wouldn’t be trying to move up the elections,” he said.