Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen has confirmed that he will challenge longtime party leader Chuck Schumer for the position of Senate Majority Leader.
Although Schumer helped lead Democrats through the “blue tsunami” in the midterm elections, he remains unpopular with the party’s liberal base.
During an interview with Jen Psaki on MS NOW Thursday night, Van Hollen said he intends to take on Schumer in the leadership contest.
“The call was really to reject the status quo and to reject business as usual. And to do that, I think we need new leadership,” Van Hollen said.
Van Hollen gained national attention after he met with alleged gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador during a wave of liberal protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Psaki pressed Van Hollen on how much support he had among Democrats, noting that he would need a simple majority in a closed-door vote to defeat Schumer.
“We have a lot of people,” Van Hollen said. Asked whether he had more than 10 supporters, he confirmed that he did.
Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, who caucuses with Democrats, has publicly endorsed Van Hollen’s campaign.
Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen has confirmed that he will challenge longtime party leader Chuck Schumer for Senate Majority Leader
Schumer helped lead Democrats through the “blue tsunami” in the midterm elections but remains unpopular with the party’s left-wing base
Van Hollen told Psaki that he objected to Schumer’s efforts to influence competitive Democratic primaries.
“We shouldn’t have a leader who is getting involved in picking sides in open Democratic primaries, and we should be focused on defeating Republicans,” he said.
Schumer notably backed Haley Stevens over Abdul El-Sayed before Stevens later switched parties. He also initially supported Janet Mills over Graham Platner in Maine.
Platner withdrew from the race following sexual misconduct allegations and was replaced by Troy Jackson, who ultimately won.
Schumer was also reportedly believed to have privately supported Angie Craig over Minnesota election winner Peggy Flanagan.
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“We have two senators right now in the Senate who wouldn’t be there if the current majority leader had his way. He supported establishment candidates in the primaries,” Van Hollen said.
Asked how his leadership would differ from Schumer’s, Van Hollen argued that Democrats need to respond with greater urgency.
“One is, I believe that we should use our full power in the Senate to respond to the calls of the American people. So, for example, the war in Iran. This is an illegal and senseless war,” he said.
Van Hollen gained national attention after meeting with alleged gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador during liberal protests against ICE
Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, who caucuses with Democrats, has publicly endorsed Van Hollen’s bid
“I believe we need to end it immediately and use all our power to make that happen. That means not one more penny spent on this war so that we can bring prices down right away,” Van Hollen added.
While Van Hollen is viewed as the more progressive contender, he said his challenge was not necessarily aimed at moving the Democratic caucus further to the left.
“This is a generational opportunity for the Senate to respond to the call of the American people for change,” he said.
“While voters have rejected the Trump policies, they’ve not yet hired Democrats. They’ve given us a chance. We have to earn their trust. And my view is that you can’t earn that trust with old leadership. You need to move on to new leadership.”
Our News Outlet has contacted Senator Schumer’s office for comment.
Van Hollen’s announcement follows weeks of speculation about a possible challenge, while Schumer has said he has enough support to retain his position.
The closed-door election, conducted by secret ballot, is scheduled for early December.
The contest will mark the first disputed election for Democratic leader in decades. The question of whether Schumer should remain in the role has already divided the caucus, and many senators have declined to publicly reveal how they intend to vote.
Democrats have privately debated what message they should take from the election. Schumer, meanwhile, recruited many of the party’s successful candidates and raised money on their behalf.
This is a developing story.
