Sen. Chris Van Hollen said Friday he is no longer pursuing a run for president in 2028, and will focus instead on his bid to lead Senate Democrats.
Van Hollen announced on Thursday night that he would challenge Sen. Chuck Schumer for Senate majority leader, days after saying he was “kicking the tires” on a White House run. Speaking at the “What’s Next” conference in Denver on Friday, he told reporters, “I’m no longer pursuing that,” according to the Washington Examiner.
He said the size of the Democratic majorities won in last week’s midterms gives the Senate a chance to answer voters, and that the chamber cannot go back to business as usual. He also told reporters he would push to end the Senate filibuster if elected leader, calling the 60-vote threshold antidemocratic, according to Fox News.
Senate Democrats will pick their leader by secret ballot on Dec. 1, according to the Wall Street Journal. Schumer has led the caucus since 2017 and says he has the votes to stay. Van Hollen, 67, has served in the Senate since 2017 after 14 years in the House.
Source: Washington Examiner
