Hutzell: How Chris Van Hollen went from no to yes on a Senate leadership bid

First off, Chris Van Hollen really did tell me he wasn’t running for Senate majority leader.

“I’m not seeking the Democratic leadership position,” he said.

It was a memorable interview from my car. I was driving my son’s cat home after a few days with us. Adso vocally complained about being in a container, so I apologized for the audible cat tears.

“Don’t worry,” the senator said. “Give him my best.”

Being solicitous of a journalist’s cat is not the most interesting thing Maryland’s senior U.S. senator has done since Democrats won control of Congress.

One day after my column appeared Nov. 8, Van Hollen told a group of reporters in Washington that he’d changed his mind.

“And so I have said that I’m now in listening mode, active in listening mode,” he said Monday night. “So I have not shut the door on it.”

Van Hollen’s journey from no to maybe and then all the way to yes on Thursday was a meteoric turn of events unlike any other involving a Maryland political figure.

“It’s now on us to meet this moment, and to do that we need new leadership,” Van Hollen said. “This is not about any one person — it’s about answering the call of the American people. That is why I’m running for Senate majority leader.”

Now we have to ask: Is this real?

Or in the opaque machinations of the Senate, is this a head fake intended to win concessions from Chuck Schumer, the New York senator who’s already claimed the job of leading Democrats, come January?

“I don’t think anybody should be making commitments to a candidate who wants to be leader without having a bold and honest discussion within the Senate Democratic Caucus as to the direction we’re going to take, right?” Van Hollen told me.

That conversation goes a lot better for Van Hollen if he has something to negotiate with, such as the votes of however many senators have told him they would back his leadership bid.

But in his talk Monday with reporters, Van Hollen said he’d heard from people around the country that he should run. They didn’t all read my column, darn it.

The senator also told other journalists that he was interested in the presidency and wouldn’t challenge Schumer even if he wasn’t ready to support him.

Then Bernie Sanders, Vermont’s senior senator and the emotional heart of the progressive movement, and Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan said they wouldn’t support Schumer.

By Friday morning, Sanders, Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon as well as Sens.-elect Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan and Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota endorsed Van Hollen. Van Hollen told The New York Times that 10 current and incoming senators had committed to him.

“The American people voted for change,” Sanders wrote on X. “They want a Democratic Party that will stand up to powerful special interests, take on the billionaire class and fight for working families.”

On Friday, Van Hollen was out building support, telling Democrats at the “What’s Next” conference in Colorado that they have to convince Americans that government can help them. Saturday, supporters rallied in Baltimore.

Van Hollen was clear about what he wanted from Schumer, a moderate who has said he has the 29 votes to become majority leader when Democrats vote in secret Dec. 1.

“I recognize that President Trump is in the White House for another two years,” Van Hollen said. “Yes, he can veto things, but the fact that he can veto something should not paralyze us from taking important action on kitchen-table issues.

“If he wants to veto a measure and show that he’s still on the side of the billionaires and against working people, that’s his decision.”

Van Hollen’s week convinced him that Schumer won’t end President Donald Trump’s war with Iran, provide tax relief to working people and make the rich pay a fair share.

So he’s campaigning to pass a wealth tax on billionaires, take steps toward Medicare for All and stop CEOs like Elon Musk from pumping millions into federal elections that decide billions in contracts.

Senators who support him see him as best suited to hold Trump figures accountable for cashing in on his presidency — and remove administration members who’ve broken the law.

“That we need leadership that’s going to take meaningful action on kitchen-table issues was one of the clear lessons from this campaign,” Van Hollen said. “That people are sick and tired of an economy that’s rigged against working people and stacked in favor of the very wealthy, the billionaire class and big corporations.”

One key lawmaker to watch is Angela Alsobrooks.

Maryland’s junior senator told Politico before Van Hollen’s announcement that she supports Schumer. She credited him with leading Democrats to a likely 56-44 majority.

“Trust me, had the results turned out differently, we would be saying it was a result of disastrous leadership,” she said.

But Alsobrooks was also in Colorado Friday with Van Hollen and it’s two weeks to the vote.

Schumer was a major donor to Alsobrooks’ 2024 campaign, pouring millions into her race through his political action committee.

Money is a factor in this drama’s outcome — not just political agendas. Party leaders build loyalty by helping candidates win.

Whether that defeats Van Hollen’s challenge depends on whether Schumer’s supporters consider him the right leader for two combative years ahead, and where senators like Alsobrooks see the party’s future.

Van Hollen, 67, was elected to the House in 2008 and the Senate eight years later. He’s an important leader for Maryland in Congress.

For more than a week, he has been a name in the news, trending on social media and out in front of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

“I called on Sen. @ChrisVanHollen to lead our caucus as a candidate back in April because he leads with courage and experience,” El-Sayed posted on X.

I don’t know how this will turn out, and Van Hollen admits that Schumer is the favorite.

Don’t tell my son’s cat.

During that 20-minute interview, Adso was strangely quiet. Van Hollen’s words — his voice — were a balm for a stressed-out pet who wanted change.

At the very least, the underdog has the cat’s vote.