Is The Bell Tolling For Chuck Schumer? Van Hollen Looms

Maine Senator-elect Troy Jackson hasn't even been sworn in yet, but some of his supporters are already working the phones to make sure Chuck Schumer doesn't get another turn running Senate Democrats.

Their preferred replacement? Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen.

Over in the Mainers for Troy Jackson Facebook group, Hunter Smith says he's been calling independent Sen. Angus King daily to make his preference known.

"As much as I want Troy Jackson himself to be the new Senate Majority Leader, I've been calling Angus King daily to affirm my support for Chris Van Hollen to be his vote over Schumer instead," Smith wrote.

He's also been calling Van Hollen's office, arguing that Jackson's agenda would have a better shot at getting onto the Senate floor with Van Hollen in charge.

Now, one guy making calls to a Senator's office is not news. But it's interesting considering the shift in the Democratic Party.

Jackson himself has already made clear he won't support Schumer for another term.

Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed is backing Van Hollen. Minnesota Senator-elect Peggy Flanagan wants new leadership. Illinois Senator-elect Juliana Stratton has also said she won't support Schumer.

And Van Hollen? It's not like he's pushing back on the idea.

On Monday, he told reporters he's in "listening mode" about a possible challenge.

"We shouldn't have a coronation," he said.

Ouch.

Of course, Schumer has been irritating the party's far-left wing for a while.

Remember March 2025, when Schumer backed a Republican government funding bill? AOC called it a "tremendous mistake." Ilhan Omar went after Senate Democrats for giving up their leverage. Delia Ramirez wanted Schumer to step aside right then and there.

Then came the November 2025 shutdown fight, when Rashida Tlaib and Ro Khanna joined the chorus demanding new leadership.

The complaints have been around for a while. And those calls came from inside the House. What's different now is that the left has some incoming senators willing to make trouble for Schumer.

And the activist base wants him out.

A survey released Monday by Our Revolution, which questioned more than 4,300 left-wing activists, found 72% wanted Schumer replaced.

Just 5% wanted him to stay.

If this sounds familiar, Republicans had their own similar fights. The Freedom Caucus (that basically became the MAGA Caucus in the Trump era) spent years challenging GOP leadership before a handful of its members finally helped oust Kevin McCarthy in 2023 and replace him with Trump loyalist Mike Johnson.

Now the Democratic Party's far-left wing is trying to flex some of that same muscle.

Schumer still has plenty of friends in the Democratic caucus, and there's no guarantee Van Hollen will even challenge him.

But the effort to replace Schumer has moved beyond angry statements from AOC and the Squad. It's now reaching the people who will help decide who runs the Senate.

That's why this early fight is critical for seeing where the Democratic Party goes, as the 2028 presidential primary push will begin in the spring of 2027.

The far left has spent years demanding a bigger say in how Democrats operate. The fight over Schumer may provide an early indication of whether it can actually get one.

And one has to appreciate the obvious irony.

Schumer spent the election cycle working to deliver a Senate majority to Democrats. Now that he's helped get them there, his reward may very well be getting booted fron his leadership perch.