Van Hollen launches bid to challenge Schumer for Senate leader
Van Hollen said Democrats need new leadership after winning Senate control in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
He is running for Senate majority leader, challenging longtime Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said on Thursday, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reported.
Van Hollen made the announcement on the US social media platform X, saying Americans had asked lawmakers to fix an economy that he said works against working people and is fuelled by political corruption.
"To deliver, we need new leadership," he said, adding that his campaign was not about any one person.
"That's why I'm running for Senate Majority Leader," Van Hollen said.
The announcement follows the Nov. 3 midterm elections, in which Democrats won control of the Senate.
The party will take over the majority when the next Congress begins in January.
The majority leader is the chamber's top position for the party in control, and the holder typically sets the Senate's floor schedule and guides which bills come up for votes.
Schumer has led Senate Democrats since 2017 and served as majority leader during the periods when the party last held the chamber.
Van Hollen's bid makes the leadership contest an open question ahead of the new Congress, as the Democratic caucus decides who will lead it in January.
