Chris Van Hollen to run for US Senate majority leader 

US Senator Chris Van Hollen has said he is running for Senate majority leader as Democrats gear up to take charge of the US Congress in January following a Democratic landslide in this month’s midterm elections.

Van Hollen said in a post on X late on Thursday that Americans had “called on us to unrig an economy rigged against working people & fueled by political corruption”.

“To deliver, we need new leadership,” he said, adding that “this isn’t about any one person – it’s about answering that call”.

“That’s why I’m running,” he said.

Van Hollen has faced mounting calls to enter the race for Senate majority leader amid growing opposition to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer‘s continued tenure after he faced criticism over how he has handled the Democratic caucus during the Trump presidency.

US Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed from Michigan was the first to back Van Hollen’s decision to run. In a post on X, El-Sayed said: “I called on Sen. Chris Van Hollen 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,” El-Sayed said.

Progressive push

On Thursday, Democratic Party leaders gathered in Denver, Colorado, for a two-day conference on the future of the party, following the sweeping victories in the midterms.

Some progressives at the conference have argued that it is time to change the direction and the leadership of the Democratic Party.

“[Chuck] Schumer has spent nearly 50 years in elected office,” said Washington, DC-based political commentator and strategist James Butler, adding that while he respected the US senator’s service, “it is time for veteran Democrats to make space for younger, more energetic members”.

Israel critic

Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland has repeatedly challenged Washington’s relationship with Middle Eastern partners.

Van Hollen, the son of a US diplomat, has called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “chronic liar“, previously telling Al Jazeera the US-Israel war on Iran “is making America and our allies less safe”.

He also attempted to push forward legislation in Congress that would have required the Trump administration to report on the killing of nine Americans in the occupied West Bank and on Israel’s treatment of Palestinian children in military detention.

This week, Van Hollen and 10 Senate colleagues urged congressional leaders to remove provisions from the annual defence policy bill that would expand weapons development and intelligence sharing with Israel.