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Chris Van Hollen announces run for US Senate majority leader, challenging Schumer

Reuters
Chris Van Hollen announces run for US Senate majority leader, challenging Schumer

WASHINGTON, Nov 12 (Reuters) - ‌Democratic US Senator Chris Van Hollen said ​on ‌Thursday he would run to ‌be the Senate majority leader, prompting a challenge to ‌Senator Chuck Schumer, following the midterm elections in which their party won a majority in ⁠the chamber.

Van Hollen, who ‌represents Maryland, said ⁠that in the midterm elections, in ​which Democrats also secured a majority in the ​House of Representatives, voters ​called ‌for "a change from the status quo ​that isn't working ⁠for working people."

"It's now ‌on us ​to meet ​this moment, and to do that we need new leadership," he added.

Schumer released a statement ‌of his own on Thursday, saying he had the ‌votes ​to continue serving as the Democratic leader in the Senate.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in ‌Washington; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)