Van Hollen Claims ‘15 and Growing’ Against Schumer, as Fetterman Warns a Van Hollen Win Could Drive Him From the Party

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said Sunday that his challenge to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has “15 and growing” supporters, while Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) warned that a Van Hollen win could push him out of the party.

“We’re about 15 and growing,” Van Hollen told ABC’s “This Week” when asked how many votes he had, the New York Post reported. He said he has a “very open lane” to unseat Schumer, who has led Senate Democrats since 2017.

Van Hollen accused Schumer’s allies of spreading “a lot of misinformation” about the race, the Washington Examiner reported. He said they were trying to “instill fear” in senators who might back him.

His target was a list of committed Schumer votes that Schumer’s team reportedly leaked to The Hill. Van Hollen said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that some senators on it “have actually committed to voting for me,” the Guardian reported.

“The other team has been putting out numbers that are flatly wrong,” Van Hollen said on “Fox News Sunday,” according to the Guardian. “If they really believed that they were ahead, they wouldn’t be trying to move up the elections.”

The closed-door caucus vote is set for Dec. 1, though Van Hollen accused Schumer’s allies of trying to move it up, the Post reported.

Schumer said Thursday that he has “the votes to continue serving as Democratic leader,” as we reported when Van Hollen launched his bid.

Fetterman’s ‘Red Line’

Fetterman raised the stakes on Saturday. Asked on Fox News’ “Saturday in America” whether there was a red line that would make him walk away from the party, he answered, “Yeah, absolutely,” The National reported.

“It would be troubling if my caucus elects someone like Van Hollen, that has really made his name being very… hostile to Israel,” Fetterman told host Kayleigh McEnany, Fox News reported.

He added that he doesn’t see a path for Van Hollen to become leader.

Fetterman stopped short of a firm pledge to leave. “I don’t know how that’s going to look, but I am a Democrat,” he said when pressed, Mediaite reported. He urged Democrats to “just, you know, take the win,” according to Fox News.

Van Hollen fired back on “Fox News Sunday,” suggesting that Fetterman fears a Democratic primary in Pennsylvania. “And so maybe looking for an exit ramp,” he said, Newsweek reported.

He defended his record on Israel. “My position is that American taxpayers should not be providing a blank check to the government of Israel or any government, regardless of their conduct,” Van Hollen said, according to Newsweek.

A Fetterman defection would matter less than it once might have, since Democrats will hold at least 55 Senate seats in January, The National noted. Fetterman also faces a 2028 primary challenger he called “pro-Hamas,” Fox News reported.

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