Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) says he will run for the Senate seat that will be open when Barbara Mikulski retires next year. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP File Photo)
U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) defended his progressive record during a brief radio interview as he tries to build momentum statewide for a Senate bid that’s expected to attract candidates from the liberal wing of Maryland’s Democratic Party.
Van Hollen also picked up the endorsement Friday of Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), who said: “Chris has also fought hard for greater economic fairness, including a tax code that rewards hard work and isn’t rigged in favor of special interests and the very wealthy.”
During the Politics Hour of the Kojo Nnamdi show Friday, Van Hollen said voters must pay attention not only to a candidate’s agenda but also to their ability to “translate those values into action.”
“I believe in a progressive agenda, and I believe in being effective in getting that progressive agenda through,” Van Hollen said. He added that liberal groups advocating for women’s rights, the environment and worker rights have supported him in the past based on his “history of effectiveness and performance” as a lawmaker.
Van Hollen, who has represented Maryland’s 8th Congressional District since his election in 2002, declared his candidacy two days after Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski’s retirement announcement set off a whirlwind of speculation as to who would succeed her.
[Mikulski, a role model for generations of women in politics, to retire in 2016]
The open Senate seat is a rare opportunity few in Maryland politics can resist and is likely to push many of Van Hollen’s House colleagues to launch campaigns of their own in the coming days and weeks. Although none have said so publicly, Democratic Reps. Elijah Cummings, John Sarbanes, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, John Delaney and Donna Edwards and Republican Rep. Andy Harris are said to be contemplating a Senate candidacy.
Van Hollen said he has had a passion for the state since his days in the Maryland General Assembly where he served in both chambers. The 56-year-old said he would like an opportunity to show Marylanders he can be an effective leader shaped by the example Mikulski set.
On Capitol Hill, Van Hollen emerged as a leader with a sharp economic mind on the House budget committee and one of the authors of the Democratic budget. He said he fought against the budget proposals of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) that included changes to Medicare and Social Security.
A Montgomery County caller to the show prefaced a question about Van Hollen’s position on entitlements by saying her vote would be for the yet-unannounced Edwards: “I would like to know why he would be better progressive candidate,” the caller asked.
Van Hollen answered directly, saying he opposes any cuts to Social Security and Medicare and is “pleased to say very clearly that I support strengthening both these programs. I have a record of doing it and leading the fight in doing it.”
Another caller asked the congressman about his vote last August to extend additional military aid to Israel for its Iron Dome missile defense system.
“I do believe its very important for the United States to play an active role in trying to resolve the terrible conflict between Israelis and Palestinians,” said Van Hollen, who voted in favor of the bill, as did many in the state delegation.
Van Hollen added that he was disappointed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “politicized” speech before a joint meeting of Congress this week and fully supports the Obama administration’s efforts to use “diplomacy and negotiation” to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
The congressman’s résumé and policy positions will continue to surface as Van Hollen pitches his candidacy statewide and spreads his message early before the number of declared candidates swells.
Ex-state politicos such as former governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R), former lieutenant governors Anthony Brown (D), Michael Steele (R) and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (D) and former state delegate Heather Mizeur (D) are among the talked-about potential contenders for the Senate seat, according to Maryland Democrats and Republicans.
The race has also attracted interest from former NAACP president Benjamin Jealous, a longtime state resident, and Baltimore attorney Susan Burke, who has sued the Defense Department on behalf of military sexual assault victims. Burke said she is “seriously considering” a run but has yet to make a decision.
Arelis Hernández covers Prince George’s County as part of The Washington Post's local staff.
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