Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) ruled out a 2028 run for president on Friday, saying he was instead focused on his bid to replace Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as incoming majority leader and prevent the upper chamber from returning to “business as usual.”
“I’m no longer pursuing that,” Van Hollen said of his considerations for the White House. “I believe that the size and scale of these majorities provide a microphone for the United States Senate to answer the call with the American people. I think this is a really important moment for our country and that we can’t go back to business as usual in the United States Senate.”
Van Hollen made his remarks at the What’s Next conference in Denver, a gathering of the party’s leading elected officials to chart the future of Democrats after their sweep of last week’s midterm elections.
The chorus of Democrats demanding the party move on from Schumer, who’s led Senate Democrats for nearly a decade, has grown louder in recent days. Support for ousting the New York Democrat has come from across the caucus’s ideological spectrum as the balance of power prepares to shift in Washington.
Schumer, 75, now faces a fight for survival against the slightly younger but more progressive 67-year-old Van Hollen when the new Congress convenes in January amid calls for generational change despite recruiting many of the candidates who flipped Republican seats.
Senate Democrats will hold their leadership elections behind closed doors next month via secret ballot. Van Hollen conceded he’s the “underdog,” as Schumer remains bullish that he already has the votes locked up.
“I welcome any discussion about the future of our caucus and the important work ahead,” Schumer said in a statement released moments after Van Hollen’s announcement Thursday night that he was seeking to be majority leader. “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.”
CHRIS VAN HOLLEN LAUNCHES BID TO UNSEAT SCHUMER AS SENATE MAJORITY LEADER
Van Hollen said no matter the outcome of his leadership bid, a run for the White House in 2028 was no longer on the table and suggested Schumer deserves minimal credit for Democrats flipping at least eight seats. Alaska remains too close to call, but former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola holds a slight edge over Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK).
“This was not orchestrated by Washington, D.C.,” Van Hollen said, adding that Democratic leaders “spent very little money and very late” in deep-red states their candidates won like Mississippi and South Carolina.
Hailey Bullis contributed to this report.