Van Hollen announces bid for Senate Democratic leadership, challenging Schumer's leadership

The Democratic Party won a landslide victory in the U.S. midterm elections, winning a majority in the Senate and House of Representatives. Although it is expected that Chuck Schumer will continue to serve as Senate Democratic leader, Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen from Maryland said on the 12th that he will run for the position of Senate Majority Leader.

According to "Reuters", Van Hollen pointed out in an interview with "MSNOW" that the Democratic Party won control of the Senate and House of Representatives, which means that voters want to change the current system, because the current system cannot meet the needs of the working class. "It's our turn to seize this moment, and to do that we need new leadership. That's why I'm running for Senate Majority Leader," Van Hollen said.

The election, which is not open to the public and will be conducted by secret ballot, is expected to be held in December. Van Hollen claimed that he had the support of more than 10 of the 55 Democratic senators known to be voting. Van Hollen also admitted that he is still at a disadvantage facing Schumer.

Democratic Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan and independent Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont, who caucuses with the Democratic Party, have both expressed their support for Van Hollen.

Van Hollen served as a U.S. senator for nearly 10 years. He has hinted that he may run for president of the United States in 2028, and pointed out that the Democratic Party must promote multiple goals at the same time, including holding President Trump's administration accountable for "serious corruption", working to end the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, and uniting to promote a set of positive economic policies centered on the American working class.

On foreign policy, Van Hollen has been critical of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and its military assault in Gaza, while also opposing further U.S. defense cooperation with Israel.