By Steve Crane | Editor-in-chief
“I welcome any discussion about the future of our caucus and the important work ahead, I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together — 55 seats and counting is an amazing result — and I have the votes to continue serving as Democratic Leader.” - Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N,Y,) on the news that Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) will challenge him for the leader’s role when Democrats take control of the Senate next year.
Things were supposed to slow down after the elections, weren’t they? That seems so long ago, now. (Results will be certified today, by the way, for those keeping track.) But the world, and the news, marches on, and right quick. Here are your Friday headlines.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) is a busy guy these days: In addition to “kicking the tires” on a possible 2028 presidential bid, he has been “actively listening” to fellow Democrats on what they want in their next Senate leader. Apparently, they want Chris Van Hollen, who announced late Thursday that he will challenge Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the leader for the past 10 years. William J. Ford has that story.
The shakeup of Gov. Wes Moore’s Cabinet ahead of his second term continues, with Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain and Emergency Management Secretary Russell Strickland announcing they’re leaving next month. Those announcements follow several last week, and more are possible, as Christine Condon and Bryan P. Sears report.
Christine also has details on the latest restrictions on menhaden harvesting. They go too far, say officials in Virginia, where hundreds of jobs rely on the menhaden fishery, and don’t go far enough, say Maryland officials worried about declines in osprey and rockfish populations that could be linked to a lack of menhaden.
Those stories, plus a look at the voting groups that may have helped drive the blue wave last week, are below for your Friday. Which came just in time. Enjoy!
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) speaks to reporters in El Salvador in April 2025, where he met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident erroneously detained and deported there. (Screenshot from Van Hollen's social media)
By William J. Ford
After a week of “actively listening” to progressive Democrats who were calling on him to challenge Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for Senate majority leader, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) confirmed late Thursday that the race is on.
In a social media post, Van Hollen said voters called for a change from the status quo, “and to do that we need new leadership. This is not about any one person – it’s about answering the call of the American people. That is why I’m running for Senate Majority Leader.” Schumer, who has been Senate Democrats’ leader since 2017, said he is confident he has the votes to retain the job.
The moves come as Democrats move from the minority in the current Senate, when they have 45 seats and two independents who caucus with them, to the majority next year with at least 55 seats. They could pick up one more when the Senate race in Alaska is decided. Despite those gains, some progressives have been looking to replace Schumer, who they see as too moderate, too friendly with Israel and not aggressive enough when it comes to challenging President Donald Trump and his policies.
Maryland Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain speaks at an Oct. 2, 2025, event at the Conowingo Dam. McIlwain announced Thursday she is stepping down, the latest Cabinet departure as Gov. Wes Moore prepares for his second term. (File photo by Christine Condon/Maryland Matters)
By Christine Condon and Bryan P. Sears
Two more Cabinet secretaries will leave state government by the end of the year, as Gov. Wes Moore (D) continues an overhaul of his administration in advance of the start of his second term in office.
The departures of Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain and Emergency Management Secretary Russell Strickland, announced Thursday, follow the news last week that three secretaries and the governor's chief of staff were leaving, just days after Moore was overwhelmingly reelected.
McIlwain, who led the environmental department since shortly after Moore's 2023 inauguration, will step down Dec. 31. Deputy Secretary Adam Ortiz will become acting secretary on Jan. 1. She announced her departure in an email to staff Thursday morning.
Strickland will retire Dec. 8. Moore said Montgomery County Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Earl Stoddard will serve as acting secretary, beginning Dec. 9.
A multistate commission approved a 9% cut to the menhaden fishery on the Atlantic Coast this week, and determined that 21.8% of those fish could be caught in the Chesapeake Bay. (Photo by Vicki Jauron/Babylon and Beyond Photography via Getty Images)
By Christine Condon
An East Coast fisheries commission voted this week to cut the coastwide harvest of menhaden in each of the next two years and, for the first time, to limit the number of the baitfish caught in the Chesapeake Bay to a specific portion of the overall harvest.
The vote by the Atlantic States Marines Fisheries Commission reduces the total harvest limit from 187,000 metric tons to 170,000 tons next year, and drops it to 150,000 tons the year after. And the harvest in the Chesapeake Bay would be limited to 21.8% of the total catch.
The vote did not go far enough for Maryland representatives on the panel, given menhaden's critical position at the base of the bay's food chain. A shortage of menhaden is one possible reason for troubling declines in the number of osprey and striped bass, for which menhaden is a critical source of food. But Virginia, home to a reduction fishery operation that catches the vast majority of menhaden as they enter the bay, said there is not enough science to make an informed decision on harvest reductions that could result in the loss of jobs in the reduction fishery.
IN OTHER NEWS
Targeting Iran war spending in stopgap budget: The possibility of a government shutdown next month rose slightly Thursday as a group of U.S. senators, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen, said the stopgap spending bill must cut off funding for the Iran war.
Postal performance up, but problems remain: The Postal Service saw an increase in revenue and mail pieces delivered after years of declines, officials said, but they repeated warnings that congressional action is needed to fix long-term funding issues.
Absent Trump voters helped blue wave: Much of the midterm “blue tsunami” came from diverse, enthusiastic young voters with financial struggles who flocked to the polls, and from Trump voters sitting out the election, say two experts analyzing turnout.
MATTERS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
On ice, far from home: Three in four people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after arrests in Maryland were held in Louisiana, Texas or Mississippi, far from home and legal aid, records show. Many were moved repeatedly.
Joining the presidential book club?: For a guy who refuses to say he won't run for president in 2028, Gov. Wes Moore seems to be checking all the boxes. Traveling the country, making national media appearances and, now, publishing a new politics book.
‘Extraordinary valor’: It took almost 59 years after he was severely injured in a firefight in Vietnam, but retired Maj. James Capers, born in South Carolina and raised in Baltimore, finally got the Medal of Honor in June for his bravery under fire in 1967.
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