Montgomery County’s Chris Van Hollen is looking to leave the House of Representatives for the Senate.
The Baltimore Sun obtained a letter the District 8 representative sent to his supporters that said he intends to run for the seat to replace retiring Sen. Barbara Mikulski in 2016. Van Hollen also posted a similar message to his campaign’s Facebook page.
The Kensington Democrat, whose district includes Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Rockville and Silver Spring, as well as portions of Carroll and Frederick counties, wrote, “I am excited to share that I have decided to run for the United States Senate from our great state of Maryland.”
The letter also said Van Hollen is planning to make a more formal announcement later. In his message Van Hollen writes about his achievements including working to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, helping to release Potomac contractor Alan Gross from Cuba and ensuring access to equal education.
Van Hollen was first elected to represent District 8 in 2002 after winning a close race against former Congresswoman Connie Morella.
Van Hollen is the first Maryland politician to make a move for the seat in what could shape up to be a heated primary featuring the state’s Democratic political stars. Politicians eyeing the race include Baltimore city Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Rep. John Delaney, Rep. Donna Edwards, Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III, and even recently defeated gubernatorial candidates such as former Lt. Gov. Anothony Brown, former Attorney General Doug Gansler and former Del. Heather Mizeur.
The move also sets up a showdown for Van Hollen’s seat, which could involve several Montgomery County state and local politicians.
