Democratic Sen.-elect Flanagan backs Van Hollen over Schumer

This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. Democratic Sen.-elect Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota announced Friday that she’s backing Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) in his challenge to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N. Y.) to become Senate majority leader next year. “Minnesotans are demanding change. Democrats need to deliver. That starts with new voices in our leadership. I believe @ChrisVanHollen is the leader and fighter we need to bring about real change, so no American is left behind,” Flanagan said in a statement posted on social platform X. Flanagan, Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, beat centrist Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) in a competitive primary before going on to win the general election against former sportscaster Michele Tafoya, the GOP nominee. Van Hollen endorsed Flanagan in the Senate Democratic primary, as did other Senate progressives such as Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Flanagan called for “radical change” during the Democratic primary, such as “ripping apart” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and passage of “Medicare for All” to provide universal healthcare coverage. Schumer threw his support behind Craig in the primary. Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed (D-Mich.) has also said he plans to support Van Hollen, who backed him in the Michigan Senate Democratic primary over Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), who had Schumer’s support. Van Hollen announced his intention to challenge Schumer in a social media post Thursday evening. “In this election, Americans called on us to unrig an economy rigged against working people & fueled by political corruption. To deliver, we need new leadership. This isn’t about any one person – it’s about answering that call. That’s why I’m running for Senate Majority Leader,” he posted on X. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Good! I'm glad Van Hollen is gaining momentum. The country has suffered for 2 years under King Trump's disastrous leadership. And now that the opportunity to provide relief to Americans arrives, the Dems start fighting among themselves. The A. I. overlords can't takeover soon enough! I don't think Schumer as leader is going to be the shoo-in he thinks it is. Who cares? This guy is only doing this in order to be the progressive front runner for 2028.