Congressman Chris Van Hollen Running for U.S. Senate in Maryland

Congressman Chris Van Hollen is the first to formally announce that he is running for the U.S. Senate in Maryland, now that Barbara Mikulski has said she will not be running.

It's a very smart move by Congressman Van Hollen, making it clear to all those thinking of running that he is definitely in the race. Everyone knows he is very smart, a great campaigner, and liked by a great many people. He would make a terrific U.S. Senator.

This also opens up the question of who will succeed Van Hollen as Congressman from the 8th District in Maryland. That district has some very liberal areas, including my home in Leisure World, but also some conservative areas in Frederick and Carroll counties. There are probably a lot of people tonight thinking about running for Congress to replace Van Hollen. We'll see what happens in the next few days and weeks.