WASHINGTON — Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., announced Thursday he will run for Senate majority leader, becoming the first to challenge Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for the position.

“In this election, the American people called for change. They called for a change from Donald Trump’s disastrous policies — but even bigger than that, a change from the status quo that isn’t working for working people,” Van Hollen said in a statement.

Van Hollen’s move follows attempts by grassroots progressives — and some newly elected Democratic senators — to draft him for the position as some seek an alternative to Schumer.

“It’s now on us to meet this moment, and to do that we need new leadership. 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,” he added.

Schumer, who has led the Senate Democratic caucus since 2017, remains favored to retain the position of Democratic leader. Still, it’s likely to be the most serious challenge he has gotten for the job.

Democratic senators will hold a vote in December to choose their leadership for the next Congress. That vote is held behind closed doors and requires a simple majority of the caucus.

Van Hollen said in an interview with MS NOW Thursday night that more than 10 senators have pledged to support him.

“We have a lot of people, but here’s the thing about an election like this: As you say, I’m the underdog,” Van Hollen said. “I told people I was thinking about it, and so now we are opening up the process, right?”

He added, “Now people will have to make a decision, one way or the other, and they have to decide whether they want to vote for change or whether they want to vote for the status quo.”

Van Hollen plans to run on having the new Democratic majority use every available tool to end the Iran war, starting with the upcoming government funding measure to avoid a December shutdown, according to his team. He’s also proposing to reverse President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” get money out of politics and tackle corruption.

Van Hollen, 67, is newer to Congress than Schumer, 75, but both men have served in Congress for decades. Van Hollen was first elected to the Senate in 2016. Before that, he served in the House for over a decade, beginning in 2003. Schumer was first elected to the House in 1980 and moved up to the Senate in 1999.

Schumer responded on X to Van Hollen’s announcement, saying he has the votes to win.

“I welcome any discussion about the future of our caucus and the important work ahead. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together—55 seats and counting is an amazing result—and I have the votes to continue serving as Democratic Leader,” he said. “I look forward to leading our new Democratic majority and delivering for the American people.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said Wednesday that he would support Van Hollen if he decided to launch an official bid for the leadership role. The day prior, Sanders had said he would not back Schumer, saying at a press conference that “in my view, the time is now for change.”

After Van Hollen’s announcement on Thursday night, Sanders wrote in a post on X that he would be supporting his bid to lead Senate Democrats.

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

Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan endorsed Van Hollen for the role shortly after his announcement Thursday night, writing in a post on X, “I called on Sen. @ChrisVanHollen to lead our caucus as a candidate back in April because he leads with courage and experience.”

“We need both right now. Which is why I’m proud to stand with him in his bid to lead our Senate majority,” El-Sayed wrote, adding that to “earn our mandate,” Democrats “will require bold leadership.”

Still, Schumer has maintained support from longtime colleagues who point to his work as minority leader ahead of Democrats’ landslide midterm victories.

“Chuck Schumer is one of the principal architects of the most successful election in modern history, and I see no reason to change the leadership that helped make that success possible,” Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, wrote in a statement on Thursday night. “Why would you fire the manager when you just won the World Series?”

King wrote that Schumer “outlined an aggressive plan for the new Democratic majority which is directly responsive to the message we heard from the voters, and he has the experience and unique mastery of the Senate process to make it happen.”

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., also urged Democrats not to turn their backs on Schumer earlier this week, saying that “no one has put in the time and effort that anyone has put into this cycle than he did.”

Gillibrand, who oversaw Senate Democrats’ campaign arm for the midterms, said Schumer ensured that resources were provided to help 100,000 new voters register in Mississippi, where Sen.-elect Scott Colom just captured a stunning victory.

“That takes vision. It takes clarity of thought. It takes strategic leadership, and that is what Sen. Schumer has done, and that’s why you will see, despite all the grumblings, enormous gratitude for the hard work he has done to get us to this position,” Gillibrand said.