Van Hollen announces bid for majority leader, but Schumer says he has the votes

Niels Lesniewski, CQ-Roll Call on Nov 12, 2026

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WASHINGTON — Sen. Chris Van Hollen announced Thursday night that he would run for Senate majority leader, launching a challenge to Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York, the current Democratic leader.

Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat first elected to the Senate in 2016, served in leadership in the House and has been chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. He has said since the midterm elections he was listening to fellow Senate Democrats about the possibility of a run for the top job.

“In this election, the American people called for change. They called for a change from Donald Trump’s disastrous policies but even bigger than that, a change from the status quo that isn’t working for working people,” Van Hollen said in a statement. “It’s now on us to meet this moment, and to do that we need new leadership. This is not about any one person – it’s about answering the call of the American people. That is why I’m running for Senate Majority Leader.”

Schumer has already said he has the votes needed to continue serving as the leader.

“I welcome any discussion about the future of our caucus and the important work ahead. 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. I look forward to leading our new Democratic majority and delivering for the American people,” Schumer said in a statement.

Schumer’s supporters were quick to highlight the success at the ballot box in 2026, with the Democratic caucus potentially growing to 56 seats if former Rep. Mary Peltola prevails in Alaska.

“Chuck has outlined an aggressive plan for the new Democratic majority which is directly responsive to the message we heard from the voters, and he has the experience and unique mastery of the Senate process to make it happen,” Sen. Angus King, a Maine independent who caucuses with the Democrats, said in a statement. “Why would you fire the manager when you just won the World Series?”

In keeping with the World Series theme, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., echoed King with her own statement of support for Schumer.

“The Brewers just had a record season, and next year is not the time to change our management,” Baldwin said. “The same is true in the Senate.”

In an interview with MS NOW about his run, Van Hollen conceded that Schumer would be the favorite in the secret-ballot contest, which will take place in December.

“Am I the underdog? Yes,” Van Hollen said. “You’re talking about an incumbent who uses the power of incumbency to, you know, provide deals to people.”

Van Hollen outlined legislative priorities including restoring Medicaid funding that Republicans cut in last year’s budget reconciliation law and extending Affordable Care Act tax credits. But he suggested Democrats need to go further.

“We need to extend tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, but we can’t stop there, right? We have a completely broken healthcare system. It’s become profits, not people. And so my view is, we also need in the first 100 days to make healthcare more affordable for tens of millions of people,” Van Hollen said. “We need to immediately make it clear that nobody’s going to pay one penny to subsidize data centers. … We need to make sure that we have a livable minimum wage.”

He also said he would not take sides in contested Democratic primaries, and he would make sure the DSCC did not take money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC.

Van Hollen’s early backers include progressive Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed, who emerged from a hotly contested Democratic primary in Michigan while the Senate Democratic political apparatus was backing Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich.

“In April, I was the first candidate in the country to call on Senator Chris Van Hollen to lead Senate Democrats, and I am proud to stand with him in his bid to become Senate Majority Leader,” El-Sayed said in a statement. “Michiganders demand money out of politics, money in pockets, and Medicare for All. Sen. Chris Van Hollen offers both the courage to go toe-to-toe with the Trump administration to deliver for working people and the experience to maneuver the Senate caucus. It’s why he has my full support to lead our caucus.”

(Jacob Fulton contributed to this report.)