Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, said Thursday night that he'll run against Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York to lead Senate Democrats. Schumer has led the caucus since 2017, and nobody has challenged him for the job until now. Van Hollen jumped in after Democrats won back the Senate. They gained eight seats and have at least 55, with Alaska still uncalled. Senate Democrats will vote by secret ballot on Dec. 1, and the winner will need a simple majority of the caucus. Schumer posted that he has "the votes to continue serving as Democratic Leader." On Friday, prediction market Kalshi gave him an 83% chance of winning. Van Hollen called himself "the underdog" but said more than 10 senators back him. Newsweek cites a public count by The 29th Vote. It shows 13 senators for Schumer, two for Van Hollen and 17 undecided.

Voters Asked for Change, So Democrats Need a New Leader

Van Hollen's backers say the midterms were a call for change, and the change should start at the top.

Voters asked for change. Van Hollen said that "the American people called for change" and that meeting the moment takes "new leadership." He said the win was "a people-powered movement" and wasn't "orchestrated from Washington, D.C." Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, endorsed him Thursday. Sanders said voters "want a Democratic Party that will stand up to powerful special interests."

Schumer picked sides in primaries he should have stayed out of. Van Hollen said a Democratic leader shouldn't be "picking sides in open Democratic primaries." He faulted Schumer for first backing a rival to Abdul El-Sayed. In June, Schumer said Rep. Haley Stevens had "the best chance to win" Michigan's Senate primary. El-Sayed beat her and won the seat anyway. Now a senator-elect, El-Sayed endorsed Van Hollen Thursday night. He said Van Hollen has "the courage to go toe-to-toe with the Trump administration."

Democrats should use their power to end the Iran war. Government funding runs out Dec. 11. Van Hollen is willing to shut the government down to cut off money for the war. He said the war "should not be a finger-in-the-wind issue." Schumer has criticized how President Trump is running the war, but he hasn't said what he'll do on funding.

Moderates want change too. Sen.-elect Adam Hamilton is a moderate Democrat who won in Kansas. He said, "I mean no disrespect for Chuck Schumer, but we need new leadership." At least six incoming senators have signaled they won't back Schumer.

But Schumer Just Won Democrats the Senate, So Keep Him

Schumer's allies say he built this majority, and that's a reason to keep him.

Schumer built this majority. Sen. Angus King, a Maine independent, called Schumer "one of the principal architects of the most successful election in modern history." King asked, "Why would you fire the manager when you just won the World Series?" Sen. Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat, made the same point. "When the manager takes you to the World Series, you give him another contract," he said.

He raised the money and found the candidates. Schumer helped raise $550 million for Democratic candidates this cycle. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York ran the Senate Democrats' campaign arm. She credited Schumer's "strategic leadership." She also said Democrats are "about to win nine Senate seats." That number counts Alaska. "That has never happened in my political history," she said.

His allies are already lining up. Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii is running unopposed for the No. 2 job. He said he'll vote for Schumer in the caucus election. Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada said Schumer has "the experience and the fight" to lead.

Still, Many Democrats Want a Plan Before They Pick

A big group of senators hasn't picked a side. They want to know what either man would actually do differently.

Nobody gets Slotkin's vote without a real plan. Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan is a no on everyone for now. "Whoever wants my vote is going to have to show me a concrete plan that's definitively different," she said. "I'm a no until and unless I see that from anyone."

Even an undecided senator gives Schumer credit. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia hasn't committed. He said Schumer "raised a lot of money and recruited a lot of the very candidates" who won.

Others want to hear every pitch. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia is undecided too. He said, "Voters are demanding that we stand up and fight for them." He added that he looks forward to hearing the case from "any member of my caucus that feels like they should lead in this moment."

Some who won't back Schumer haven't picked Van Hollen either. Sen.-elect Annie Andrews of South Carolina won't back Schumer, but she hasn't endorsed Van Hollen either. She said "it's time for generational change on both sides of the aisle."

Where This Lands

Van Hollen says voters asked for change and that Schumer picked sides in primaries he should have stayed out of. King and Gallego say you don't fire the manager who just won the World Series. Slotkin and other holdouts want a concrete plan before they vote. Schumer says he has the votes, and the public count backs him so far. Democrats will vote by secret ballot on Dec. 1. Government funding runs out ten days later, and Van Hollen wants to use that deadline against the Iran war.

Sources