“In this election, the American people called for change,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen said on Thursday.
Van Hollen (D-Md.) announced his challenge to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for Senate Majority Leader, exposing deep internal fractures despite the party’s midterm success, Axios and Al Jazeera reported.
“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,” Hollen said.
Leadership race statements already starting to flow in Angus King says "Chuck Schumer is one of the principal architects of the most successful election in modern history, and I see no reason to change the leadership that helped make that success possible" Abdul El-Sayed:…
In a statement of his own, Schumer said: “I have the votes to continue serving as Democratic leader,”.
“I like Chuck. Nobody … works harder than Chuck Schumer. But in my view, the time is now for change and I will not be supporting Chuck to be reelected as the Democratic leader,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Tuesday, CNN reported. Sanders appeared alongside Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), who demanded a plan for change from party leadership.
Progressives have accused Schumer of not fighting hard enough against President Trump and the MAGA agenda. At least half a dozen incoming senators, comprising Abdul El-Sayed (D-Mich.), Adam Hamilton (Kansas), Julia Stratton (Ill.), Peggy Flanagan (Minn.), Troy Jackson (Maine), and Annie Andrews (S.C.), have stated they will withhold their backing from Schumer for the leadership post.
El-Sayed immediately endorsed Van Hollen upon his entry in the race. “I called on Sen.” El-Sayed said in a post on X.
Schumer has more public backers at this stage than Van Hollen, including Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), Sen.-elect Sherrod Brown (Ohio) and Democratic Senators such as John Fetterman from Pennsylvania, Arizona’s Ruben Gallego, New York’s Kirsten Gillibrand, Mark Kelly of Arizona, Jacky Rosen representing Nevada, Hawaii’s Brian Schatz, and Sheldon Whitehouse out of Rhode Island.
The Democratic Party needs a new and bold direction. I will not support Chuck Schumer’s reelection as Democratic leader.
Van Hollen acknowledged he is the “underdog” in the race but claimed he has “more than 10” senators on his side.
The upcoming contest between the two lawmakers will also bring to light the deep ideological split regarding Israel within the party; Van Hollen has been a vocal critic of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, whereas Schumer has historically stood out as one of the Israeli government’s strongest defenders inside the Democratic caucus.
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The American people voted for change. They want a Democratic Party that will stand up to powerful special interests, take on the billionaire class and fight for working families. That is why I am supporting Senator Chris Van Hollen to lead Senate Democrats.
Dear Democrats, Chuck Schumer is a mistake we can't afford. It will unwind a historic election. Schumer has been in office for 52 straight years. Enough.https://t.co/krSdjavEXP
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