Chuck Schumer says he’s confident. His own party says, not so fast. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) told CNN on Thursday that he is still “actively listening” to colleagues about mounting a challenge to Schumer for Senate Democratic leader, capping the conversation with a two-word tease: “Stay tuned.
That’s a big change from what he said just the week before. On Nov. 6, Van Hollen told Fox 5 DC he was “not looking to be the next Democratic leader” and was eyeing a possible 2028 presidential run instead. Apparently a few days of phone calls changes a man’s ambitions pretty fast.
Schumer, for his part, is acting like none of this is happening. “I’m confident I will be elected majority leader,” he told reporters Tuesday, calling his caucus unified. His allies, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who ran the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee this cycle, are crediting him with delivering the midterm majority. Van Hollen didn’t exactly agree with that framing. He said the results came from Van Hollen Schumer leadership challenge “a demand in the country for change and bold leadership,” not any one individual. That’s Senate-speak for “don’t give Chuck the trophy.”
Van Hollen also took some real shots at Schumer by name, accusing him and the DSCC of siding with the crypto industry and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee over progressive candidates in Democratic primaries. He claimed two members of the incoming class would not have won if the committee had gotten its way. At a conference in Washington on Nov. 10, he declared, “We should bring a little more democracy to the United States Senate.” From a party that brought you lockstep mandates and censorship, that’s a rich one.
The rebellion inside the caucus is real. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is withholding his vote. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) floated denying Schumer a quorum altogether if he runs unopposed. At least five senators-elect have already rejected him. A Spectrum News count found fewer than a dozen Democratic senators either refusing Schumer or staying uncommitted, which still gives the 75-year-old 27 votes to spare heading into the Dec. 1 caucus vote.
Not everyone is impressed with Van Hollen’s flirtation. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was pretty blunt about it. “Well, what’s his record, other than yelling about anti-Israel stuff,” Fetterman said. That is, to put it gently, not a ringing endorsement of a leadership bid.
The caucus vote is set for Dec. 1, a full month before the new Congress is sworn in. Schumer still has no declared opponent, and Van Hollen says he still hasn’t decided. So the Democrats head into their leadership race the same way they ran their campaigns, lots of noise, no clear direction, and everyone waiting for someone else to go first.
