Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is poised to become majority leader after last week’s Democratic midterm sweep, but he now faces an open revolt from his party’s left flank. Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland is weighing a run to replace him.
Van Hollen indicated this week that he is considering challenging the New York Democrat to lead the caucus in the next Congress. Progressive activists and some colleagues have been pushing for new leadership on Capitol Hill.
In remarks to MS NOW, Van Hollen said he is calling fellow senators to gauge whether the caucus is “hearing the same calls for change.”
The Maryland Democrat has refused to endorse Schumer outright. At a post-election gathering in Washington on Saturday, he said, “There should be no coronation of the next Democratic leader.”
Van Hollen said he has urged colleagues to withhold commitments until Schumer lays out what he plans to do with the party’s new power. He has also criticized the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, saying it has “sided with the crypto industry.”
His position has shifted in recent days. Van Hollen said late last week that he was not interested in taking on Schumer, then walked that message back days later in comments to reporters. He had previously said he was “actively kicking the tires” on a 2028 presidential bid.
He is not alone in keeping his distance from Schumer. At the same Saturday gathering, Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin also declined to back Schumer and would not rule out running herself. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats, said he would not support another term for Schumer as leader.
Van Hollen already has at least one vocal supporter among the incoming class. Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed has repeatedly said he would back Van Hollen. El-Sayed introduced the Maryland senator at a July campaign event as the “next Senate majority leader.”
The push comes after democratic socialist and populist candidates won several contested Senate primaries this year while campaigning against Schumer’s leadership.
Schumer has brushed off the challenge and projected confidence.
“I’m confident I will be elected majority leader,” Schumer said. He added that the caucus has great unity and that he will be proud to lead it.
Schumer has led Senate Democrats for nearly a decade. Some in the party credit him with recruiting the candidates who flipped seats in deep-red states like Texas and Kansas. To keep his post, he must win a majority of his members in the leadership election expected in December.
Van Hollen, a former House leadership member who once chaired the DSCC, was long considered part of the Democratic establishment. He drew national attention in 2025 when he traveled to El Salvador on behalf of deported Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He has since aligned himself with Senate progressives who want a more aggressive agenda.
Schumer remains the favorite as long as no challenger formally enters the race.
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