Van Hollen challenges Schumer for Senate Democratic leadership

Senate Democrats are facing a choice they haven’t had in decades: whether to keep their current leader or try someone new.

Calls for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, to step aside were already circulating before Democrats’ strong midterm showing. Now Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland has entered the race, saying voters’ demand for change should extend to the party’s leadership. It will be the first contested Senate Democratic leadership race since 1994.

A race dividing Democrats

Van Hollen, 67, is challenging Schumer, 75, after some lawmakers and candidates called for new leadership even before the election. Those calls have grown louder since Democrats won the midterms. Van Hollen argues that the results reflected voters’ rejection of President Donald Trump and that Democrats need a new direction to respond.

In a recent interview, Van Hollen did not draw a sharp policy distinction between himself and Schumer. He also expressed doubt that Democrats could pass some major progressive proposals, including Medicare for All.

Van Hollen said voters had rejected Trump’s agenda but had not yet given Democrats their trust. The party, he argued, would have to earn it—and could not do so with the same leadership.

He described himself as an underdog but said more than 10 senators were backing him, with others potentially joining. A candidate needs 28 votes in the secret ballot, or 29 if Democrats win Alaska’s Senate race. Ballots are still being counted there in the contest between Democratic candidate Mary Peltola and Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. The leadership vote is expected behind closed doors in early December, and the campaign could grow contentious before then.

Van Hollen has the support of Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats, as well as some incoming progressive lawmakers. Among them are senators-elect Abdul El-Sayed, whom Van Hollen endorsed early, and Peggy Flanagan, who called him the kind of leader needed to deliver change and ensure no one is left behind.

How the candidates would deal with Trump

The contest may ultimately come down to how each candidate would work with—and challenge—Trump.

Van Hollen earned praise from progressives early in Trump’s second term after traveling to El Salvador to check on Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who was mistakenly deported by the administration.

Schumer, meanwhile, has dealt with Trump for years. He has said he plans to bring bills to the Senate floor on issues such as restoring Affordable Care Act subsidies and banning insider trading, forcing Republicans to take a public position. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, used a similar approach over the past two years.

Schumer has said he would prefer to get legislation passed but would keep moving forward regardless of whether Trump or Republicans cooperate.

Van Hollen’s Washington record

Though he is calling for change, Van Hollen is a longtime Washington figure. He has served in Congress since 2003 and is the son of diplomats. He held a position in House Democratic leadership under former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and led the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for two election cycles.

When Schumer became Senate Democratic leader in 2017, he quickly tapped Van Hollen to run the party’s Senate campaign operation. Van Hollen has spent his Senate career working under Schumer and has rarely broken with him on major votes. He has, however, become a prominent critic of Israel and has faulted Schumer over his connections to the cryptocurrency industry and his involvement in Democratic primaries.

Van Hollen serves on Senate panels focused on appropriations, foreign relations, the budget, and banking and housing. Budget and foreign affairs have been central to his work in Congress.

Progressive groups back Van Hollen

Progressive organizations are beginning to rally behind Van Hollen. The Sunrise Movement endorsed him, saying young voters had chosen change. The group argued that Schumer could not provide it, while Van Hollen might, and warned that Democrats’ election gains could prove fleeting under the wrong leadership.

The 50501 protest movement also backed Van Hollen, urging people to press their senators to support him over Schumer. Other groups critical of Schumer include Indivisible, MoveOn and the Working Families Party. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which says it represents 600,000 members, sent Schumer a letter calling on him to step aside.

Schumer has remained confident he can hold the leadership post. He said he welcomed discussion about the caucus’s future, pointed to Democrats’ election gains—55 seats and counting—and said he had the votes to continue as leader.

Some of Schumer’s supporters have compared the leadership contest to baseball, arguing that a manager who takes a team to the World Series deserves another contract. Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona used that comparison in defending Schumer’s bid to stay.