Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland announced Thursday he will challenge Sen. Chuck Schumer for Senate majority leader, saying Democrats need new leadership to answer voters’ calls to unrig an economy rigged against working people and fight political corruption. Schumer responded that he has the votes to continue as leader.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., quickly endorsed Van Hollen’s challenge Thursday, writing on X that “the American people voted for change” and need a party that will “stand up to powerful special interests, take on the billionaire class and fight for working families.” Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed, who Van Hollen cited as a candidate Schumer had opposed, also endorsed the Maryland senator, saying he “leads with courage and experience.”

We are about to win nine Senate seats — that has never happened in my political history.

Schumer’s allies moved to consolidate support behind the New York Democrat. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., endorsed Schumer late Thursday, praising his pre-midterm work, and Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said he would vote for Schumer in the caucus election. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., credited Schumer’s “strategic leadership” for the party’s gains, saying, “”

The challenge comes after Democrats flipped at least eight Senate seats in the midterms, with one race in Alaska still uncalled, securing a sizable majority for the new Congress. Schumer has led Senate Democrats since 2017, and his position appeared strengthened by the strong showing following a tenure that included maneuvering to avoid a government shutdown in early 2025 and later keeping Democrats united through a record-breaking shutdown, according to CBS News.

Van Hollen, 67, who has served in Congress for 23 years, including in the Senate since 2017, argued in an interview with MS NOW that Schumer had not taken a firm enough stance on using the power of the purse to force the Trump administration to end the Iran war, citing the Dec. 11 deadline to fund the government as leverage. He also criticized Schumer for moving behind the scenes to back certain candidates in Democratic primaries, saying, “We have two senators right now in the United States Senate who wouldn’t be there if the current majority leader had his way,” referring to El-Sayed and Minnesota Sen.-elect Peggy Flanagan. Van Hollen further argued that Schumer had chosen the “crypto industry” and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee over progressive candidates who won during the midterm cycle, according to Fox News.

Senate Democrats are scheduled to choose their leader in a closed-door, secret-ballot vote Dec. 1. Schumer needs a majority of the Democratic caucus to retain his position. Van Hollen has said he has the support of more than 10 senators, while Schumer maintains he has enough votes to remain leader, according to Newsweek. Schumer told reporters after the election, “The issue is not me. I’ll be reelected as majority leader.”

At least six incoming Democratic senators have called for new leadership or said they will not support Schumer: Annie Andrews of South Carolina, El-Sayed, Flanagan, Adam Hamilton of Kansas, Troy Jackson of Maine and Juliana Stratton of Illinois, according to Newsweek. Virginia Sen. Mark Warner and Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock have not publicly committed to supporting Schumer, while Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin urged colleagues to withhold a quorum until candidates presented a concrete plan for change.

The Democratic Socialists of America backed the challenge, saying Schumer “has consistently failed to deliver for the working class,” and directed attention to a letter-writing campaign urging senators to replace him. The DSA letter criticizes Schumer over “support from pro-Israel donors,” “ties to corporate interests,” “refusal to back abolishing ICE” and his role in helping pass “Republican spending bills when Democrats had leverage,” according to Newsweek. The DSA’s influence in Congress is set to grow in January, when six DSA-backed candidates join the House, bringing the number of affiliated lawmakers to eight.

Van Hollen has gained attention from progressives in recent years, including vocally supporting restricting weapons shipments to Israel in 2024 and criticizing the Biden administration’s posture toward the war in Gaza, according to CBS News. He traveled to El Salvador last year to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national sent to the CECOT prison. Jim Kessler, co-founder of the center-left think tank Third Way, said Schumer deserved credit for Democrats regaining control of the Senate, telling Newsweek, “Even Schumer’s harshest critics within the party believe he deserves credit for that.”