Chris Van Hollen said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he is “kicking the tires” on a potential 2028 presidential bid. The Md. senator said he is looking at whether he wants to join the Democratic Party’s debate over what it stands for going into 2028.
Meet the Press interview
Van Hollen said, “We need to be against the status quo, and that’s why I’ve been kicking the tires as I look at 2028 because I don’t think the Democratic Party has answered the call about how we’re going to make sure we have an economy that really does work for everybody, especially working people.” He also said, “I very much want to be part of that debate, and I am kicking the tires, testing the waters.”
He said he has been to New Hampshire and Iowa while weighing the idea. That puts him in the same conversation as several other Democrats who have also left open the possibility of a 2028 presidential bid, including Gavin Newsom, Andy Beshear, Pete Buttigieg, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cory Booker, Ruben Gallego and Kamala Harris.
Democratic Party debate
Van Hollen said, “I think there’s a great deal of churning within the Democratic party, and I support that.” He added, “As I said, I think we need this healthy debate because I don’t think Democrats have put forward a clear alternative to the Trump administration.”
He also said, “Democrats need to be very clear not just what we’re against, but what we’re for.” In the interview, he said democratic socialists do have a place in the Democratic Party “as part of the debate.”
Chuck Schumer and majority leader
Pressed about whether he would challenge Chuck Schumer if Democrats retake the Senate, Van Hollen said his focus was “not on majority leader, it’s on what Democrats stand for going into 2028.” That leaves his interest in a presidential campaign separate from any immediate Senate leadership fight.
Van Hollen has previously said he was “kicking the tires” in considering a potential 2028 run, and he had acknowledged the possibility of a presidential campaign to NOTUS and at the Hill Nation Summit before this interview. For now, the question is whether he turns that into a formal 2028 presidential bid or keeps using the race to push the party’s debate over its direction.
