Charles Schumer

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., may not have an uncontested path to becoming majority leader in the next Congress, sources close to a Maryland senator popular with the upper chamber’s progressive wing told Politico.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who said Schumer should not “get a blank check” to become Senate majority leader, has a groundswell of support to challenge Schumer, said Ezra Levin, the co-executive director of Indivisible who has been in touch with Van Hollen as recently as Sunday, according to Politico Playbook.

“He has not sought the position, but he has also not closed the door to the position,” Levin told the outlet. “And I think if there is sufficient public demand, that not only would he possibly get in the race, but I think he could win.”

Another source identified only as a person familiar with Van Hollen’s thinking said the Maryland Democrat has “received an outpouring of calls and is now in active listening mode. The door is not shut.”

On Saturday, the Maryland senator said Schumer should not become majority leader by default.

“I’ve said very clearly that we need to have a discussion in the Democratic caucus,” Van Hollen told journalist Alex Wagner at Crooked Media’s Crooked Con event, the Washington Post reported. “We need to understand what the Democrats are going to do with this new responsibility and these new powers. And that nobody should get a blank check without a full understanding from the caucus as to where we’re going to go.”

Van Hollen is well-liked among more progressive Senate Democrats, including Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed, D-Mich., whom Van Hollen supported in the Democratic primary against Schumer-endorsed Haley Stevens.

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El-Sayed, who is among the incoming senators opposed to Schumer, said he would vote for Van Hollen if the Maryland Democrat mounted a leadership challenge.

Van Hollen’s prospective candidacy also has the backing of the popular and controversial streamer Hasan Piker. Piker pointed to Van Hollen traveling to El Salvador to investigate the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

“Chris Van Hollen flew down to El Salvador to get proof of life for his constituent Kilmar Garcia when the kidnappings were happening,” Piker posted. “We need fighters to lead at this critical moment. Van Hollen is also closer to the democratic base on his approach to foreign policy.”

Howard Koplowitz is AL.com's Breaking & Trending Reporter for afternoons and nights. He has been with AL.com since 2015 and has served in a variety of roles, ranging from coverage of Donald Trump's first... more

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