DENVER (AP) — Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen said Friday that he’s no longer considering a run for the White House and will focus instead on his bid to become Senate majority leader as he makes the case to Democratic colleagues.
A day after he announced a challenge to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, Van Hollen told the audience at the “What’s Next” conference that Democrats should pursue an aggressive agenda and “go toe to toe” with President
Donald Trump.
The conference was planned months ago as an opportunity to pick through the election results for lessons learned. But Democrats found themselves in the unexpected position of winning almost every contested race and have spent much of the meeting reveling in ambitious plans for building a Senate supermajority in 2028.
Van Hollen had previously said he was considering a run for the Democratic presidential nomination. But he told reporters after the speech in Denver that those plans were now off, and that the “size and scale of these majority provides an opportunity for the United States Senate, and to answer the call of the American people.”
The race for leader, which will be held Dec. 1 behind closed doors in the Capitol and on a secret ballot, is already dividing Democrats who just made major gains in the midterm elections, winning large new majorities in the Senate and the House.
Schumer and his allies argue that the wins are an endorsement of the current leadership who engineered them, while Van Hollen and many of his backers in the Democratic base say that the sweeping victories are a call for change.
“While they fired the Trump policies, they have not fully hired us,” Van Hollen said at the conference. “We’ve been given a chance. It’s up to us to meet this moment.”
Schumer has said he has the votes to win. Van Hollen acknowledged he is the underdog in the race, which will be the first time in decades that there has been a contested race for Senate Democratic leader. Only a simple majority is required to win.
“A lot of my colleagues want to see a whole new approach to governing,” Van Hollen told the crowd.
In a statement Thursday after Van Hollen’s announcement, Schumer said he welcomes any discussion about the future of the caucus.
“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,” Schumer said. “I look forward to leading our new Democratic majority and delivering for the American people.”
While Schumer is the favorite to win, Van Hollen’s run exposes a rift in the party that opened in the spring of 2025, when Schumer was put on the defensive after he sided with Republicans on a spending vote.
Even as Schumer has redeemed himself within his caucus since then — leading them through a government shutdown last year and orchestrating huge wins in the election — many in the Democratic base are agitating for generational change.
Van Hollen, 67, is not that much younger than Schumer, 75, and both have been in Congress for most of their careers. But Van Hollen has allied himself with progressive groups in the last two years and is positioning himself as a new face in the party.
The two men have similar positions on many issues, and have laid out similar goals for the new majority and taking on Trump. At the conference Friday, Van Hollen tried to separate himself from Schumer, saying he wants to put more bills on the Senate floor and ensure that newly elected senators have a major role.
He challenged Schumer to potentially shut down the government when funding runs out in December to stop the Iran war. But it is unclear if the caucus will want to start their new majority in a shutdown.
Schumer has been making is own pitch for reelection and is working with Democratic senators one-on-one to form an agenda for 2027. In private caucus meetings this week, Schumer opened discussion on a broad plan for their first 100 days in power that included healthcare and tariff legislation and efforts to stop the Iran war.
Van Hollen has also challenged Schumer for his ties to Israel and other special interests. While Schumer has a long history of support for Israel, he has strongly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his handling of the war in Gaza.
While most Democratic senators have either said they are supporting Schumer or are undecided, Van Hollen has a handful of backers: Sens.-elect Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan and Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota, both of whom won competitive elections in their states last week, progressive standard-bearer Sen. Bernie Sanders and Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, who said in a post on X Friday that “politics as usual is unacceptable.”
Several senators have said they are backing Schumer, including incoming Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, who beat Republican Sen. Jon Husted.
Beyond the election wins, those who support Schumer say being the leader is a difficult job, experience is necessary and Schumer has proven himself with legislative successes when they held the Senate under President Joe Biden.
“Why would you fire the manager when you just won the World Series?” posted Maine Sen. Angus King, another independent who caucuses with Democrats and votes in the leadership election.
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Jalonick reported from Washington.
