Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland made it official Thursday night, announcing that he plans to challenge Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York for the majority leader’s position.

“Yes, I am planning to run for the Senate majority leader,” he said in a TV interview.

“This is not about any one individual but it is about answering the call of the American people. We saw a huge outburst of democracy on Election Day – red states, blue states, purple states – and it wasn’t only a rejection of Donald Trump and his corruption and his wars and his cruelty. It was also about a call for a larger change.”

“The call was really to reject the status quo and to reject business as usual. And to do that I think we need new leadership.”

When it was pointed out that as recently as last weekend he said he would not challenge Schumer, Van Hollen replied that voters have given Democrats “a chance.”

“We have to earn their trust. And my view is that you can’t earn that trust with old leadership.”

“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. I look forward to leading our new Democratic majority and delivering for the American people.”

Van Hollen, 67, might offer a new face at the head of the Senate Democratic caucus, but he is hardly a newcomer to Washington.

He was elected to the Senate in 2016 after serving 14 years in the House representing a district in the D.C. suburbs. Prior to that, he spent 12 years in Maryland’s state legislature.

Van Hollen was born in Pakistan, where his father, a career diplomat who eventually served as the U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka, was then stationed. His mother was an analyst for the CIA and the State Department, specializing in Afghanistan and South Asia.

He has chaired the Democrats’ main fundraising committees in both the House and the Senate – positions where one can traditionally gather a lot of IOUs.

Whether this will be enough to oust Schumer, who was first elected to the Senate in 1998 and has led Senate Democrats since 2017, remains to be seen.

Senate Democrats will gather on Dec. 1 to pick their caucus leader, who will automatically become majority leader when the new Congress is sworn in just over a month later.

Traditionally, the meeting to select a new party leader takes place in the Capitol’s historic Old Senate Chamber, where the Senate met until 1859 and which later housed the Supreme Court. Only senators and senators-elect attend – no aides or media allowed – and the vote takes place by secret ballot. Outgoing senators do not participate.

The fact that the ballot is secret can make the outcome difficult to predict. Several Senate Democrats and senators-elect have already indicated a preference for new leadership, but whether Van Hollen can muster the 28 or 29 votes needed to oust Schumer remains an open question.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vermont independent who caucuses with the Democrats, called for new leadership this week and announced his support for Van Hollen on social media Thursday evening.

“The American people voted for change. They want a Democratic Party that will stand up to powerful special interests, take on the billionaire class and fight for working families. That is why I am supporting Senator Chris Van Hollen to lead Senate Democrats.”

“I called on Sen. @ChrisVanHollen to lead our caucus as a candidate back in April because he leads with courage and experience,” El-Sayed wrote on social media.

“We need both right now. Which is why I’m proud to stand with him in his bid to lead our Senate majority.”

Like El-Sayed, incoming senators Adam Hamilton of Kansas, Troy Jackson of Maine and Juliana Stratton of Illinois all pledged during their campaigns to oppose Schumer.

Other senators-elect, including Chris Pappas of New Hampshire and Scott Colom of Mississippi, have been noncommittal when asked about a challenge.

Colom recently noted that it was not ideal that both Schumer and incoming House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries “live in the same borough” (referring to Brooklyn, in New York City). He suggested a majority leader more familiar with rural America would be good for the party.