US Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland announced Thursday that he will run for Senate Majority Leader in the next Congress, challenging long-term Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer after the party swept to power in the midterm elections. The announcement from the progressive senator sets up an internal party clash as Schumer, 75, has faced calls from some in his party to step aside for new leadership. Van Hollen is the first senator to openly challenge Schumer and has support from some of the more vocal progressives within the party.
Van Hollen stated that he is running because the American people called for change. He said that it is now on them to meet this moment and that to do that they need new leadership. Left-wing independent Senator Bernie Sanders said this week that he would not support Schumer in continuing his role, and newly-elected Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan posted on X that he also backed Van Hollen.
Schumer said he welcomed discussion about the future of the party, but insisted on X that he has the votes to continue serving as the Democratic Leader. While Schumer is the favourite to win, Van Hollen's run exposes a rift in the party that opened in the spring of 2025 when Schumer sided with Republicans on a spending vote. Even though Schumer has since redeemed himself by leading his caucus through a government shutdown last year and orchestrating election wins, many in the Democratic base are agitating for generational change.
Van Hollen, 67, is positioned as a new face in the party and has also said he is considering a run for president. The contest will mark the first contested election for Democratic leader in decades. The question of whether to reelect Schumer has already divided the caucus, with many senators declining to say publicly how they will vote.
Source: Euronews. Read the original report ↗