Machinists Union Endorses Van Hollen for Senate Leader

IAM President Brian Bryant called Van Hollen “a proven champion of working people” and said the senator understands the contest as “a fight of workers vs. billionaires.” Bryant said the union believed Van Hollen had the courage to deliver the change voters demanded.

Van Hollen announced his challenge to Schumer, a New York Democrat, shortly before the endorsement. In a social media post late Thursday, he argued that voters had called for an economy less stacked against working people and said the Senate needed new leadership. He acknowledged being the “underdog” and disputed Schumer’s claim to have secured enough support to win.

Van Hollen told MS NOW on Thursday that he had the backing of “more than 10” of the 55 Democratic senators and senators-elect, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed (D-Mich.). Democrats are expected to choose their majority leader by secret ballot in early December.

RootsAction, a progressive advocacy group that says it has more than a million online supporters, said Friday it would expand its campaign urging Democrats to support Van Hollen. The group called for grassroots voices to be heard and said it opposed Schumer remaining the party’s Senate leader.