Chris Van Hollen is having a very strange moment.
The 67-year-old Maryland lawmaker has caught the attention of a handful of progressive lawmakers and activists who have gotten increasingly vocal this week that it’s time for Chuck Schumer to step aside as the Senate’s longtime top Democrat.
But Van Hollen has wavered on whether he will challenge Schumer in a race to be majority leader in the aftermath of massive midterm gains. Van Hollen said Tuesday he is “actively listening” to members of the party as he keeps the door open to a role in Senate leadership — or perhaps a 2028 presidential bid.
Schumer appears to have a path to the No. 1 post and said Tuesday he is confident he does. His allies point to his prolific fundraising and leadership experience, and are openly discouraging Van Hollen from even jumping into what could be a highly-divisive race.
“I’m going to vote for Schumer. He helped recruit a great class, and I can’t imagine why you would vote for someone like Van Hollen with no record of doing anything,” Sen. John Fetterman told reporters.
But Schumer began facing pockets of opposition with his ranks this week — giving a potential opening to Van Hollen.
Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elissa Slotkin, for example, on Tuesday announced publicly they are not committed to backing Schumer as the next leader. Neither identified who they support instead, though both acknowledged Van Hollen is one name in consideration.
It’s the culmination of a remarkable resurgence for Van Hollen, who, over the past two years, has become an increasingly strident critic of the Democratic Party establishment. That’s a somewhat striking position from someone who spent decades dutifully rising through the party establishment and who chaired both the House and Senate campaign committees.
“Van Hollen represents a bridge between the old guard — people who’ve been in office for a long time with a more moderate orientation — and the new generation that is coming into office,” said Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution.
For his part, Van Hollen on Tuesday accused Schumer and the Senate Democratic campaign arm of having “sided with the crypto industry and AIPAC” to oppose more progressive candidates. He’s also become increasingly critical of the U.S. posture toward Israel, joining early Democratic pushes to restrict arms sales to the country.
That outspokenness has gotten Van Hollen noticed on the left, including by newly elected senators like Abdul El-Sayed and Peggy Flanagan.
“I have been very impressed by Senator Van Hollen’s leadership,” said Flanagan, who has said she will not back Schumer.
What else we’re watching:
— NVIDIA SCANDAL TILTS CHIP FIGHT: The espionage scandal surrounding Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is threatening one of the chipmaker’s biggest priorities: stopping new U.S. restrictions on its sales to China. Per lawmakers, congressional aides and lobbyists close to the debate, the revelation that Huang had an affair with an alleged Chinese spy has significantly raised the chances Congress will enact chip export limits as part of its must-pass annual defense package, which is being negotiated in the lame-duck session. Johnson on Tuesday told POLITICO that he supported including export controls in the legislation, echoing Jeffries. Senate Banking member Kevin Cramer, meanwhile, called for Huang to resign.
— NEAL PREPS FOR WAYS AND MEANS POST: Rep. Richard Neal is mapping out his oversight and legislative plans as he gears up to lead the powerful tax policy committee. Several new members are poised to join Ways and Means, where Neal has no challengers to his bid for chair. In an exclusive Q&A chat with POLITICO, Neal said the scale of Democrats’ win “mightily” influenced his thinking about how he’ll lead Ways and Means starting next January. When selecting new members, he says he wants to ensure there are voices for “parts of the country that have been shut out in the past.”
Jordain Carney, Kelsey Brugger, Ari Hawkins and Gabby Miller contributed to this report.
