Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., is challenging Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for the party's top Senate post, and he is centering his bid on a promise to go further than Schumer ever has on one issue: terminating the filibuster.
Van Hollen, who has served under Schumer since 2017, announced his candidacy Thursday night after a listening campaign with Senate Democrats. The race offers a rare opening for the party, which has not held a contested Democratic leadership election since 1994. Schumer has led Senate Democrats for nearly a decade.
"We need democracy in the United States Senate, and that means allowing, ultimately, a majority of senators to answer the call of the American people," Van Hollen said. "So, that means 51 votes. So, my personal view has been all along that the filibuster is an anti-democratic provision. It's not in our Constitution. It was put in there by senators to enhance their power over the power of the people."
Years ago, Schumer tried and failed to narrowly change the Senate's rules to pass a sweeping voting rights package. Republicans have toyed with changing the rule over the last two years but never pulled the trigger.
Just a week earlier, Van Hollen was weighing a run for higher office, but he is now setting aside a potential 2028 White House bid to focus on defeating Schumer and confronting President Donald Trump. "I'm no longer pursuing that," he told reporters at the What's Next conference in Denver, where Democratic leaders, strategists and activists gathered to debate the party's direction after its midterm wins.
Van Hollen framed his challenge as an answer to voters' demands for change following the party's sweeping wins and Trump's policies. "I did discuss this with Senator Schumer," he told Fox News Digital. "We understand that this will be a competition. I think it's important to give Senate Democrats a choice." Voters "chose change," he said, arguing the caucus needs "new ideas" and "a different way of governing."
He has also faulted Schumer for limiting votes on legislation popular with Democrats, including a bill to boost unions, and said the incoming majority should pass the bills candidates campaigned on and force Trump to respond. "We shouldn't wait to hear what President Trump may or may not do," Van Hollen said. "We should answer the call of the American people."
Unseating Schumer remains a steep task. The incumbent leader has an established network of support and can reward colleagues with leadership posts. Either candidate will need 28 votes in the secret ballot expected in early December, or 29 if Democrats win Alaska, where ballots are still being counted in the Senate race between Democratic nominee Mary Peltola and incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.
Some conference attendees welcomed the prospect of a leadership shake-up. "We definitely want change. We don't want to go back to the way things have been. This is a turning point for our country," said Jenny, a Denver resident, adding it was time for Schumer to go. "This is the time for us to really, really go after what is right for everyone, not the status quo."
Ara, also of Denver, said she believes Van Hollen already has significant backing. "I think there's a really good chance," she told Fox News Digital. "I think there were a lot of people that were already willing to support him. So I feel very good about this." Another attendee, Zoe, praised his willingness to fight for constituents: "He goes out there, and he puts his body on the line for his constituents. And I think that's what we're looking for, the kind of fight we're looking for from our representatives as young people."
