Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said Sunday that he has 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 told 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 intimidate lawmakers who may support his bid.
Van Hollen also said Schumer’s team had distributed a list of senators expected to support the incumbent leader, but that 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 told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Schumer, who has led Senate Democrats since 2017, has said he has enough support to retain his leadership position.
Van Hollen countered that Democrats need a new direction despite their strong showing in the midterm elections. He said voters rejected President Trump’s policies but have 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.
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The Maryland senator said Democrats cannot simply return to “business as usual.” Instead, he urged the party to embrace economic populism by confronting an economy he described as “rigged in favor of the very wealthy” and worsened by 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 suggestion that his campaign was primarily a progressive effort to pressure Schumer into supporting a more liberal agenda, such as Medicare for All or ending the legislative filibuster.
Regarding the filibuster, Van Hollen said he would not immediately seek to eliminate the Senate rule if elected leader, though he argued that it should ultimately be reformed.
He described the rule as “undemocratic” because it allows a minority of senators to block legislation backed by a majority. At the same time, he said any changes should be discussed with the entire Democratic caucus.
The Democratic Senate leadership election is scheduled for Dec. 1. Van Hollen accused Schumer’s allies of trying to move the vote forward to limit debate over the leadership contest.
“If they really believed they were ahead, they wouldn’t be trying to move up the elections,” he said.
