Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland announced Thursday that he will seek to become Senate majority leader in the next Congress, challenging Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer after the party swept to power in the midterm elections.
In a statement, Van Hollen said the election results showed that “the American people called for change” — a message he said had prompted his decision to run.
“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.”
Van Hollen’s bid follows weeks of speculation and comes as Schumer has said he has enough support to retain the position. Senate Democrats are expected to choose their leader in a closed-door, secret-ballot election in early December.
The contest will mark the first election for Democratic leader to be seriously challenged in decades. The fight over whether Schumer should remain in charge has already exposed divisions within the caucus, while many senators have declined to publicly disclose how they plan to vote.
Behind closed doors, lawmakers have been weighing what lessons to draw from the election. Schumer, meanwhile, helped recruit many of the party’s successful candidates and raised money on their behalf.
Since the election, Schumer has also been speaking with Democratic senators about developing an agenda for 2027.
“I’m going to win it,” Schumer told The Associated Press in an interview last week.