Van Hollen Escalates Bid to Lead Senate Democrats Over Schumer
On November 15, 2026, Chris Van Hollen escalated his bid to lead the incoming Senate Democratic majority, a push that would put him in place of Chuck Schumer. Schumer has led the Senate Democratic caucus for nearly a decade, and the outcome of the contest will determine who guides the party's senators when they take charge.
The stakes come from the November 3, 2026 midterm elections, in which Republicans lost control of Congress. Democrats are set to assume control in January, for the latter half of Donald Trump's second presidency. A caucus is the group of lawmakers from one party in a legislative chamber, and its leader is chosen in an internal vote known as a leadership election.
On November 15, Van Hollen appeared on CNN, ABC and Fox News to make his case. On CNN's State of the Union, he said he believes he has a path to victory for the Senate Democratic leadership.
Van Hollen also criticized reports that Schumer's team may move the date of the caucus leadership election earlier than December 1.
The dispute has also turned to vote counts. Van Hollen said some senators on a leaked list of Schumer's claimed committed votes have actually pledged to vote for Van Hollen instead. On ABC News's This Week, he accused Schumer's team of spreading misinformation by leaking an alleged list of supporters in order to instill fear.
