Chris Van Hollen Says His Majority Leader Challenge to Chuck Schumer Is Gaining Support

Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, contended on Sunday that he has a “wide open” path to unseat Senator Chuck Schumer of New York to become majority leader next year, intensifying the internal leadership battle that is dividing the newly empowered Democratic caucus.

Mr. Van Hollen, who has positioned himself as a populist underdog, said he did not believe Mr. Schumer’s support was solid. Mr. Schumer, an architect and funder of the successful Democratic effort to retake the Senate, has announced that he has locked up enough commitments to return him to the position of leader for another two years.

“I can tell you that a number of those people on that list have actually committed to voting for me,” Mr. Van Hollen said on CNN’s “State Of The Union,” though it was not clear what list he was referring to. “The others are very open to the idea of change.”

Mr. Van Hollen had previously said he had more than 10 colleagues supporting him.

On Sunday, he said on “Fox News Sunday” that number was up to 15 and growing. “This is a wide-open race,” he said.

The winner needs a simple majority of the caucus to vote for him in a secret-ballot election that is scheduled for Dec. 1. Democrats will make up at least 55 seats in the Senate next year, including the independents who caucus with them.

Mr. Van Hollen, 67, also accused Mr. Schumer, 75, who has led Senate Democrats since 2016, of trying to change that date because he was not confident he had the votes.

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