What a difference a week makes.
After telling Fox 5 in Washington D.C. last week that he would not challenge Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to become the next Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) has decided to ride the blue wave.
“Last Week the voters sent a loud and clear message: we cannot return to business as usual in Washington,” Van Hollen wrote tonight on social media. “We need to meet the moment with a bold agenda to deliver for working people.
“That is why I am running for Senate Majority Leader.”
The change of heart comes after Democrats’ overwhelming victory in the midterm elections. It also comes amid increasing calls from voters, pundits and politicians for real action, given the mandate — and given the fleeting nature of power in D.C.
Van Hollen spoke with MS NOW’s Jen Psaki shortly after making his announcement, and she asked him about his change of heart.
“What’s changed was the sense of how this is a generational opportunity for the Senate to respond to the call of the American people for change. The scale and the scope of this victory, 56 Senate Democratic seats, really gives us…a mandate and the votes to do big things.”
The Maryland senator sounded a note of caution, however.
“It should be very clear, while voters have rejected the Trump policies, they’ve not yet hired Democrats. They’ve given us a chance. We have to earn their trust. And my view is that you can’t earn that trust with old leadership. You need to move on to new leadership.”
Schumer replied in a social media post shortly after Van Hollen’s announcement.
“I welcome any discussion about the future of our caucus and the important work ahead,” the five-term senator wrote. “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.”
Among the first to support Van Hollen was one of the fastest-rising stars in the new Congress. The senator-elect from Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, announced his support for Van Hollen way back in April.
“I am for Chris Van Hollen. If he decides he wants to be Senate Majority leader I think he’d be amazing at the job,” said El-Sayed confirmed recently.
Tonight, others in congress weighed in with support for Van Hollen. Among them were Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Ro Khanna.
Schumer’s supporters include Sen. John Fetterman, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Sen. Angus King (I-ME).
“Why would you fire the manager when you just won the World Series?” asked King.
Van Hollen was a close ally of then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi when he was in the House. In the Senate, he has overseen the party’s campaign organization and, more recently, focused on foreign policy and budget issues. Tonight, Van Hollen said his big goals were to “bring down costs” and end the war against Iran. He also said he would not take money from AIPAC.
Senate Democrats are scheduled to vote for the next majority leader on December 1.
