Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., announced Thursday night that he will run for Senate majority leader, becoming the first Democrat to challenge Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for the post, according to NBC News. The move sets up an internal leadership fight barely a week after Democrats won control of the Senate in the midterm elections.
“In this election, Americans called on us to unrig an economy rigged against working people & fueled by political corruption,” Van Hollen wrote in a post on X. “To deliver, we need new leadership. This isn’t about any one person – it’s about answering that call. That’s why I’m running for Senate Majority Leader.”
In this election, Americans called on us to unrig an economy rigged against working people & fueled by political corruption.
To deliver, we need new leadership. This isn't about any one person – it’s about answering that call.
That's why I’m running for Senate Majority Leader.
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) November 13, 2026
Schumer answered on X within minutes. “I welcome any discussion about the future of our caucus and the important work ahead,” he wrote. “I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together—55 seats and counting is an amazing result—and I have the votes to continue serving as Democratic Leader.”
Underdog bid
Van Hollen called himself “the underdog” in an interview with MS NOW on Thursday night and said more than 10 senators have pledged to support him, NBC News reported. “Now people will have to make a decision, one way or the other, and they have to decide whether they want to vote for change or whether they want to vote for the status quo,” he said, according to NBC News.
Schumer, who has led the Senate Democratic caucus since 2017, remains favored to keep the job, though the challenge is likely the most serious he has faced, NBC News reported. The outlet said Van Hollen’s move follows efforts by grassroots progressives and some newly elected Democratic senators to draft him.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said Wednesday that he would support Van Hollen if he launched a bid, NBC News reported.
Iran war and shutdown leverage
Van Hollen told MS NOW host Jen Psaki that the Iran war is one example of his differences with Schumer, according to the Washington Examiner. He said Democrats need to be “firm” in their response to the conflict, the outlet reported.
Van Hollen said Democrats should use the power they already have ahead of a Dec. 11 deadline rather than wait until January, according to the Washington Examiner. Congress faces a Dec. 11 deadline to pass a new spending bill and keep the government funded, the outlet reported.
Van Hollen plans to run on having the new Democratic majority use every available tool to end the Iran war, starting with the upcoming government funding measure, according to NBC News, which cited his team. He is also proposing to reverse President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” get money out of politics and tackle corruption, the outlet reported.
What comes next
Democratic senators will choose their leaders for the next Congress in a closed-door vote in December that requires a simple majority of the caucus, according to NBC News. The Washington Examiner reported the leadership elections are expected in early December and will be held by secret ballot.
Van Hollen, 67, was first elected to the Senate in 2016 after serving in the House beginning in 2003, while Schumer, 75, was first elected to the House in 1980 and moved to the Senate in 1999, NBC News reported.
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- Original post: Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) on X, Nov 12, 2026
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