With his challenge to Schumer, Van Hollen forces a debate over Democrats' mandate

Democrats say they have a mandate to deliver change, but as the party gets ready to retake the majority in both the House and Senate, there are divides over who should lead it.

Democrats say they have a mandate to deliver change next year, but as the party gets ready to retake a majority in Congress, there are divides over how far that change should go and who should lead it. It's a debate playing out in the Senate where minority leader Chuck Schumer now faces a challenge from fellow Democrat Chris Van Hollen for the top job next year. Here to break down what we know is NPR's Elena Moore in the studio with me. Hi, Elena.

PFEIFFER: So last night, Van Hollen announced he's running. For people who don't know him, what should we know about him?

MOORE: Yeah, he's had a pretty long career in Washington, representing Maryland in the Senate since 2017 and serving more than a decade in the House before that, where he held some leadership roles. Ideologically, he's seen as more progressive than Schumer is, and he's tried to position himself in recent years as someone who pushes back hard against the Trump administration. Notably, last year, he lobbied for the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was wrongly deported to a prison in El Salvador, and Van Hollen actually traveled there to meet with him.

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