Chris Van Hollen
Democratic candidate for Presidential in Maryland
2028 Democratic presidential nominee
$214.2M
NOV 7, 2028Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Live Odds — 2028 Democratic presidential nominee
Current prediction-market probability for the candidate, updated as market prices change.
1%chance to win
$214.2MNOV 7, 2028Candidate Overview
Key details about the candidate’s background, party, office sought and current campaign.
Current roleU.S. Senator
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyMainstream Democrat
GenderMale
LocationMaryland
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BackgroundAttorney
EducationSwarthmore College (BA)
Notable personal detailsChris Van Hollen is a Democratic U.S. Senator from Maryland, first elected in 2016. He previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Maryland’s 8th District and in the Maryland General Assembly. He is a graduate of Swarthmore College, Harvard Kennedy School, and Georgetown University Law Center. He is married to Katherine Wilkens and they have three children: Anna, Nicholas, and Alexander.
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Political Positions
Economy & Taxes
Supports raising taxes on the very wealthy and strengthening enforcement to ensure corporations and high-income individuals pay more; has sponsored legislation to impose a minimum tax on millionaires and criticized budgets that provide tax cuts for the ultra‑rich.
Healthcare
Supports strengthening and expanding the Affordable Care Act, including a public option and measures to expand coverage and lower prescription drug costs; has promoted easing enrollment into Medicaid/marketplaces and defended Medicare and Medicaid from cuts. Views a Medicare-for-All public option as a pathway toward broader universal coverage while sponsoring legislation and statements to expand access and affordability.
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Immigration & Border
Supports expanded legal pathways and protections for Dreamers and other immigrant groups while also backing measures to strengthen border security and address enforcement issues. Has cosponsored comprehensive reform (U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021), advocated for DACA and TPS protections, pushed for additional temporary worker visas for Maryland industries, and pressed ICE for accountability on restraint practices.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
Supports codifying the protections of Roe v. Wade into federal law, opposes restrictive abortion bans, and has described the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe as a threat to women’s health and rights. Has cosponsored and voted to support the Women’s Health Protection Act and has called for federal action to protect access to abortion and reproductive health care.
Climate & Energy
Supports ambitious federal climate action including the Green New Deal as a first step, carbon pricing/‘cap and dividend’ proposals, a ‘Polluters Pay’ climate fund, and large clean‑energy investment and finance programs to accelerate decarbonization and climate resilience.
Public Safety & Guns
Supports comprehensive gun safety measures including banning semi-automatic assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, implementing universal background checks and closing background-check loopholes, expanding permit-to-purchase and red flag laws, and other federal gun-safety reforms. Has sponsored and co-sponsored legislation to ban assault weapons, close the Charleston loophole, expand background checks, and incentivize permit-to-purchase laws. Has repeatedly voted for and publicly advocated for strengthening federal gun-safety laws while supporting resources for violence prevention and AT
Latest News
Chris Van Hollen is in the news for co-sponsoring a bill with Representative Don Beyer that would eliminate federal income tax for millions of Americans earning under $46,000. He is also being mentioned as a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate while Democrats promote the proposal as an affordability measure. Separately, he is part of the broader Democratic pushback against the GOP-backed SAVE America Act, which would tighten voter ID and citizenship requirements and faces strong opposition from Democrats.
Van Hollen proposes bill to eliminate federal income tax for millions of low
Democrats say they don’t oppose voter ID, but argue that GOP voting bill is too strict
What's in voting bill that Republicans are pushing to Senate floor
Proposed SAVE act would bring major changes for many voters
Campaign Fundraising
Latest report: Cycle 2026Campaign finance totals from the latest available reporting period.
2024
2026
LatestCycle 2024
Cycle 2026
Source: FEC
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