Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), one of the Senate’s leading critics of the U.S.-Israel relationship, announced Thursday that he will challenge Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to become Senate majority leader in the next Congress, hoping to ride a wave of progressive enthusiasm and opposition to Schumer.

Van Hollen, who is also considering a 2028 presidential run and has been encouraged to run for the position for months by far-left activists and media figures attracted partly by his criticism of Israel, described his bid as a response to the midterm elections.

“In this election, the American people called for change. They called for a change from Donald Trump’s disastrous policies — but even bigger than that, a change from the status quo that isn’t working for working people,” Van Hollen said in a statement. “It’s now on us to meet this moment, and to do that we need new leadership. This is not about any one person – it’s about answering the call of the American people. That is why I’m running for Senate Majority Leader.”

Van Hollen and other critics of Schumer have largely been vague about their specific gripes with Schumer, who had been riding high off of sweeping midterm wins in deep-red territory, securing a substantial Democratic majority. One of Van Hollen’s specific complaints has been that Schumer backed moderate candidates in several competitive Democratic primaries.

Israel policy is one major area where Schumer and Van Hollen diverge, and a Van Hollen-led Democratic caucus would likely bring a spate of anti-Israel legislation to the Senate floor. 

Schumer reiterated in response that he believes he already has the votes locked down to win the position. He will only need to secure half of the Democratic caucus in a secret ballot set to be held next month.

“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. “I look forward to leading our new Democratic majority and delivering for the American people.”

Van Hollen acknowledged in an MS NOW interview that he is the underdog but claimed to have more than ten senators committed to him. Several progressive groups have reportedly threatened to back primary challengers to any senators who do not back Van Hollen.

Sens. Angus King (I-ME), Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Brian Schatz (D-HI), who is expected to be the next Democratic whip, quickly issued statements supporting Schumer, pointing to Senate Democrats’ midterm victories as a key reason to keep the New York senator in his role.

Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed (D-MI), who said months ago that he wanted to see Van Hollen replace Schumer as majority leader, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) came out in support of Van Hollen.

“This is a moment where we need to pivot from the past into the future. … And almost all of us came in saying that we needed to take a fresh approach, a new approach to governing,” El-Sayed said in a PBS interview.

Van Hollen, 67, has been in Congress since 2003, and was a longtime member of Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-NY) Democratic leadership team in the House. He had previously served in the Maryland state House and Senate since since 1991 — making him a surprising choice to represent an anti-establishment movement, in the eyes of some critics.

Asked about that background, El-Sayed said, “[H]e is somebody who both combines the understanding of the United States Senate as an institution, as a body, the processes of the Senate, with the willingness to lead forward and to take some real risks.”

He pointed to Van Hollen’s decision to visit the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza and to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador, after Abrego Garcia was deported to a notorious prison in the country, as examples of his risk-taking.

While he acknowledged in the interview that Schumer “and the institutions that he leads came through in a big way to make sure that we were able to secure our victory,” El-Sayed also highlighted that Schumer had backed one of his opponents, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), in the Democratic primary.