Within moments of Maryland Democrat Chris Van Hollen announcing his intention to challenge Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in a race to lead next year’s Senate Democratic majority, endorsements began flying in favor of both candidates.
Van Hollen branded himself as an “underdog” while announcing his candidacy during an interview on MS Now Thursday night. But he also said he’d garnered the support of at least 10 senators — enough to raise eyebrows about his potential to shake up caucus dynamics.
“We should not be preserving our institutions if they are not delivering for the American people, and we should be making delivering for the American people the single mission of our government, even when that means shaking things up, and that is why I’m running for the majority leader in the United States Senate,” Van Hollen said during a summit event in Denver, Colorado on Friday.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen speaks during the “What’s Next” post-midterm election conference by the Democratic Party in Denver, Colorado, November 13, 2026.
Kevin Mohatt/Reuters
Support from newly elected senators
Already, Van Hollen has garnered critical support among some members of the incoming freshmen class.
“The American public spoke clearly last week. They rejected Trumpism. But we have yet to earn our mandate. That will require bold leadership. I called on Sen. @ChrisVanHollen to lead our caucus as a candidate back in April because he leads with courage and experience. We need both right now. Which is why I’m proud to stand with him in his bid to lead our Senate majority,” Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed posted on X Thursday night.
Senator-elect Peggy Flanagan arrives at the US Capitol for the 120th Congress new member orientation meetings in Washington, November 9, 2026.
Kylie Cooper/Reuters
Minnesota Sen.-elect Peggy Flanagan also threw her support behind Van Hollen.
“Minnesotans are demanding change. Democrats need to deliver. That starts with new voices in our leadership. I believe @ChrisVanHollen is the leader and fighter we need to bring about real change, so no American is left behind,” Flanagan posted on X on Friday morning.
It’s not just new members backing Van Hollen. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a longtime face of the progressive movement, called for a change in leadership before backing Van Hollen.
“This election was about CHANGE. The Democratic Party must CHANGE. Now is the time to take on the oligarchs and fight for working families,” Sanders posted on X. “That is why I will be supporting Chris Van Hollen for Majority Leader.”
Sanders’ endorsement went further than a handful of other Democrats, who have called for a change in the party leadership without endorsing any particular candidate. Sen. Elissa Slotkin along with a number of other incoming Democrats, fall into this category.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks during a press conference at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in Washington, November 4, 2026.
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters
Schumer’s not sweating it
But Schumer, who led Senate Democrats for nearly 10 years, doesn’t seem to be sweating it.
In a post on social media Thursday night that came within seconds of Van Hollen announcing his intent to challenge him, Schumer said he’d already clinched the necessary votes to be re-elected as leader for what would be a sixth two-year term.
Democrats picked up a whopping eight seats during the midterm elections, something Schumer claims partial credit for. When the new Senate is sworn in in January, Democrats will go from being the minority party to holding at least a 55-45 seat majority. The Senate race in Alaska has yet to be projected, but a Democratic victory there could secure Democrats an even larger share of seats.
“I welcome any discussion about the future of our caucus and the important work ahead. 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,” Schumer said.
Endorsements for Schumer followed almost immediately after.
“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,” Sen. Angus King, a Maine independent who caucuses with Democrats, said in a statement. “Why would you fire the manager when you just won the World Series?”
Sen. Jacky Rosen speaks to the media after a closed door briefing on the Iran war before the Senate Armed Services Committee at the Capitol, March 10, 2026, in Washington.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada joined King and a number of her colleagues in highlighting Schumer’s role in helping Democrats to secure their resounding majority in the midterms.
“I’ve seen up close how hard @SenSchumer works for our entire caucus. He did the work to deliver what will soon be a 56-seat Senate majority against all odds, and I know he has the experience and the fight to continue leading our diverse caucus at this crucial moment. I’m proud to support him to be our Majority Leader,” Rosen posted on X.
Her fellow Nevada senator echoed that.
“Leader Schumer was instrumental in Democrats flipping 8 — soon to be 9 — Senate seats and securing a historic majority. I will be supporting him as our Democratic leader,” Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto said in a post.
It all comes down to closed-door elections
To clench the majority leader title, a candidate will need to amass a simple majority of conference votes during a closed-door leadership election. Though no date for the election has officially been announced, Democrats are expected to hold it in early December.
The leadership election is held by secret ballot. Newly elected senators will get a chance to vote in that election but outgoing senators will not cast ballots.
Depending on the results in Alaska, either 55 or 56 Democrats will vote in the election. The winner of the election will need either 28 or 29 supporters, depending on the Alaska results.
Senate Republicans elected their new leadership following a lengthy closed-door discussion on Tuesday. Current Majority Leader John Thune will remain the top Republican in the Senate leading the GOP minority for the next two years.
ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa and Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.
