Rep. Chris Van Hollen to Seek Mikulski's Senate Post

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Rep. Chris Van Hollen from Montgomery County is the first Democratic contender to publicly say he will seek the United States Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Barbara Mikulski.

Van Hollen, elected to Congress in 2002, represents the Eighth District, made up of much of Montgomery County, along with Westminster and Eldersbug.

Van Hollen, described in a WTOP story as the chief budget strategist for Democrats in the House, made his announcement in an email to supporters two days after Mikulski said she would not run for another term in 2016.

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“A more formal announcement will come later, but I wanted to let you know of my plans,” Van Hollen wrote in the email. “In my very first election for Congress I believed that people were tired of politics as usual, and I ran a campaign based on key issues and ideas that matter to our future. The same is true today.”

Van Hollen has nearly $1.7 million in cash on hand, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, over $600,000 more than any other members of the Maryland congressional delegation, reports the Capital News Service.

Mikulski, D-Md., announced Monday that she is retiring from the Senate. The 78-year-old senator is in her fifth term, and known as someone who has forged bipartisan relationships for decades that often result in compromise.

For the remainder of her term, Mikulski said she plans to continue fighting for change.

“I want to give 120 percent of my time focused on my constituents. Because it’s never been about me. It’s always been about them,” she said.

Senate Contenders

Among the names media outlets suggested after Mikulski’s announcement as possible successors: former Gov. Martin O’Malley, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings Blake, former Attorney General Doug Gansler, former Delegate Heather Mizeur, Rep. Steny Hoyer, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, Rep. Donna Edwards, Rep. John Sarbanes, Rep. John Delaney and former Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown.

O’Malley took his name off the list Tuesday, saying he was “confident that very capable public servants with a desire to serve in the Senate will step up,” adding: “ I will not be one of them,” in a statement obtained by the Associated Press.

Rep. Donna Edwards, D-Fort Washington, is also considering running and progressive groups, like Democracy for America, are trying to draft her into the race, says Capital News Service. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and former Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend have said they are considering running.

According to CNS, possible GOP candidates for Mikulski’s position include Rep. Andy Harris, R-Cockeysville, former Gov. Robert Ehrlich and former Secret Service agent and 2012 unsuccessful Senate candidate Dan Bongino.

By entering the race, Van Hollen gives up his 8th District House seat after 2016 because he cannot run for two offices at the same time, CNS says.

Biography

Before his election to the U.S. House of Representatives, Van Hollen served four years in the Maryland House of Delegates and eight years in the Maryland Senate. He also worked as an attorney in private practice for 10 years. He is a graduate of Swarthmore College, the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and Georgetown University Law Center.

He lives in Kensington with his wife, Katherine, and their three children, Anna, Nicholas, and Alexander.