// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Democratic Senate leader Schumer set to face leadership challenge
Chris Van Hollen (L) says he will challenge Chuck Schumer (R) and that the Democrats need new leadership
US Senator Chuck Schumer is facing a challenge to his position as US Senate majority leader from his fellow Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, as the party prepares to take control of Congress after sweeping the midterm elections.
Van Hollen, 67, said in a post on X on Thursday that Americans voted for change earlier this month and "to deliver, we need new leadership".
Schumer, 75, has led Democrats in the chamber since 2017, serving as both majority and minority leader. He was first elected to the Senate in 1999.
Following the midterms earlier this month, his position has come under pressure by some left-wing Democrats who see him as too moderate and part of the party establishment.
Responding to the challenge, Schumer, who represents New York, said he welcomes "any discussion about the future of our caucus and the important work ahead".
He added that he is "proud of what we've accomplished together" in the midterms, and he has "the votes to continue as Democratic leader".
The vote on Senate leader will be held behind closed doors in early December and the winner will assume the role on 4 January, when Democrats take control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives after their midterms successes.
The move by Van Hollen, who represents Maryland, marks the most significant step by a high-profile Democrat to challenge the party's existing leadership following last week's midterms victory.
Announcing his plans to run on X, he wrote that Americans had called on the party to "unrig an economy rigged against working people".