Van Hollen is now officially challenging Chuck Schumer for Senate majority leader, and several incoming Democratic senators are refusing to back Schumer. This sets up a fight over who will lead the new Democratic majority in the Senate.

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From The Epoch Times:

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) has formally launched a bid to challenge incumbent Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for Senate majority leader in the upcoming Congress.

. . .

Schumer, meanwhile, has expressed confidence that he’ll have the required votes when the conference meets for a closed-door, secret ballot vote later in December.

Several incoming Democratic senators—including Sens.-elect Annie Andrews (D-S.C.), Abdul El-Sayed (D-Mich.), and Adam Hamilton (D-Kansas)—have said they won’t support Schumer.

Van Hollen frames his campaign as a response to voters. He says Americans want an economy that is no longer “rigged against working people” and “fueled by political corruption.” That message has drawn support from the party’s populist and progressive wing. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) says that although he likes Schumer personally, he won’t back him because the party needs to “move in a new and bold direction.” Sen.-elect El-Sayed was backing Van Hollen for leader even before he won his own primary in Michigan. Not every newcomer has picked a side. Sen.-elect James Talarico (D-Texas) says he will meet with every candidate and ask “tough questions” before deciding.

Schumer still has strong defenders. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) credits him with Democrats’ sweeping midterm wins, which have given the party at least 55 Senate seats with Alaska still undecided. Schumer has led Senate Democrats for nearly a decade, serving as majority leader from 2021 to 2025. Before formally entering the race, Van Hollen argued that Democrats should not give their longtime leader a “coronation” after winning control of the chamber. The pressure isn’t limited to the Senate. Democrats in both chambers report receiving as many as hundreds of calls a day urging them to oppose their party’s current leaders. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is also facing opposition in his bid for speaker.

Whoever wins in December will control the Senate floor during President Trump’s final two years in office. That includes which bills reach a vote, which nominees are confirmed, and how aggressively the chamber pursues investigations of the administration. Let’s pray that God would raise up leaders in the new majority who fear Him and value truth over power. Let’s pray that the new majority would not become a platform for expanding abortion or eroding religious liberty, and that oversight would not be used as a partisan weapon. Let’s also pray for President Trump and Republican leaders as they enter a season of divided government, that they would stand firm on righteous convictions and seek wisdom in every negotiation.

Who do you think should lead the Senate, and how are you praying for the new Congress? Share your prayers and scriptures in the comments.

(Excerpt from The Epoch Times. Photo Credit: Maryland GovPics – https://www.flickr.com/photos/mdgovpics/55352197912/, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=194414256)