Chris Van Hollen said Sunday he is “kicking the tires” and “testing the waters” for a possible 2028 presidential bid, putting one of the Senate’s most outspoken Democrats into the early conversation over who might lead the party next. On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Van Hollen said he wants to be part of a debate over what Democrats stand for and whether they can offer voters an economy that works better for working people.
He made the remarks after being pressed about whether he would challenge Chuck Schumer for Senate Democratic leader if Democrats retake the Senate this fall, but Van Hollen steered away from that fight. His focus, he said, is “not on majority leader, it’s on what Democrats stand for going into 2028.” That choice matters because it makes clear he is sounding out a presidential run rather than positioning himself for a Senate leadership push.
Van Hollen framed the opening as bigger than his own ambitions. He said Democrats need to be “against the status quo” and argued the party has not answered the call on how to build an economy that “really does work for everybody, especially working people.” He also said he has already been to New Hampshire and Iowa, two states that have long served as early proving grounds for presidential hopefuls.
The interview adds to a Democratic field that is already taking shape without a clear frontrunner. Van Hollen said there is “a great deal of churning” inside the party and that he supports it, calling for a healthy debate over the party’s direction and insisting Democrats need to be clear not just about what they are against, but what they are for. He said democratic socialists have a place in that argument and added, “I’m not afraid to debate.”
That leaves Van Hollen where he said he wanted to be: inside the conversation, but not yet committed to the race. He has now said more than once that he is “kicking the tires,” and the next step is whether those checks turn into a real campaign or stay where they are today, as a public trial balloon from a senator who seems determined to shape the Democratic Party’s 2028 debate either way.
