Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen says he will run for the Maryland Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Barbara Mikulski.
Van Hollen is a leading House Democrat who had been long-discussed as a possible successor to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. But in a letter to supporters that was posted on Facebook Wednesday, he announced that he’ll instead be jumping into what will likely be a very competitive primary in the heavily Democratic state.
“I am very much looking forward to the upcoming campaign and a healthy exchange of ideas. 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,” he wrote.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who is weighing a 2016 presidential bid, has announced that he will not seek the post. But other possible candidates include Rep. Donna Edwards, Baltimore mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and former Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, among others.