Rep. Chris Van Hollen on Monday continued his aggressive early push to shore up Montgomery County support for his U.S. Senate campaign.
County Executive Isiah Leggett and eight of the nine County Council members (Councilmember Tom Hucker had a family obligation) took a microphone one-by-one to endorse Van Hollen, the longtime 8th District House representative who lives in Kensington.
“It is not easy to represent the residents of Montgomery County. They are very knowledgeable. They’re very involved. They’re well-organized,” Leggett said. “I am delighted, enthusiastically, to endorse our next U.S. senator from the great state of Maryland, Chris Van Hollen.”
The endorsements came before any other officials have announced for the race, which now seems likely to involve 4th District Rep. Donna Edwards as soon as Tuesday.
“If you look at what the county executive and this County Council have done in so many areas, it is a model for our nation,” Van Hollen said in thanking the officials for their support. “They increased the minimum wage. They are a leader on climate change. One county in one state in one country, but they’ve been a leader.”
When asked after the press conference about Edwards’ progressive reputation, Van Hollen characterized himself as an “effective progressive.”
It was a common theme throughout the press conference, which took place in front of the Council Office Building in Rockville. Van Hollen had a previously scheduled lunch meeting with the Council after the event.
It took Van Hollen just more than 48 hours after Sen. Barbara Mikulski announced she’d be vacating the seat to announce his candidacy.
“He not only handles the national issues well, but he tends to his bidding,” said Councilmember Roger Berliner, who praised Van Hollen for his work on climate change and ending income inequality. “He makes sure his constituents are well taken care of too. You cannot imagine a more pragmatic progressive than Chris Van Hollen.”
In a press session before the Van Hollen event, Council President George Leventhal acknowledged how early it is to be making a Senate endorsement.
“My advice for anyone running for U.S. House or U.S. Senate in 2016 is pace yourself,” Leventhal said.
But he also said he’s sure from experience that Van Hollen is the right choice, and his pursuit of a Senate seat is not at all unexpected.
“Chris, he’s made the decision that he wants to get out early and let everybody know that he’s very serious about it and he wants to lock down as many endorsements as he can,” Leventhal said. “I understand that as a strategy, but I don’t know that every candidate needs to pursue precisely the same strategy.”
“Thank you Chris for getting in the game as early as you have,” said Councilmember Nancy Floreen, who lives near Van Hollen in Garrett Park.
