El-Sayed backs Maryland’s Chris Van Hollen as US Senate majority leader battle begins

Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland on Thursday evening announced that he would challenge the party’s U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York for the majority leadership position — and Michigan’s incoming junior senator-elect, Abdul El-Sayed, has offered Van Hollen his support.

El-Sayed (D-Ann Arbor) previously said he would support Van Hollen if he sought the leadership position of the caucus. As the Democrats regained control of the U.S. Senate in the Nov. 3 election, it was unclear if someone would challenge Schumer, who has led the caucus since 2017.

In an interview with Michigan Advance, El-Sayed reaffirmed his support on Thursday afternoon, hours before Van Hollen jumped into the race.

“I was the first to be calling on him as the next leader, so I would love to see him run, and I’d love to see him as our next leader,” El-Sayed said.

Following Van Hollen’s announcement, El-Sayed said in a news release that Michiganders rejected “the failed status quo and the politics that too often leaves families behind” when they voted last week to give Democrats a majority in Congress.

“But we need to earn our mandate. That demands new leadership,” he said in a statement. “Senator Chris Van Hollen offers both the courage to go toe-to-toe with the Trump administration to deliver for working people and the experience to maneuver the Senate caucus.”

U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) also has called for new leadership for the Democratic caucus, but she has not publicly backed Van Hollen. 

Slotkin said she is not actively seeking the position. Schumer said Tuesday he’s “confident” he will be reelected as Democratic leader for the next Congress.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said in a news release that it also supports Van Hollen.

“He’s a proven champion of working people who will fight to unrig an economy stacked against working families,” IAM President Brian Bryant said in a statement. “Senator Van Hollen understands this is a fight of Workers vs. Billionaires, and has the courage to deliver the change voters demanded. Workers did their part on election night. Now it’s Senate Democrats’ turn. Senator Van Hollen is the right choice.”