Chris Van Hollen Bio
Christopher Van Hollen Jr. (born January 10, 1959) is an American attorney and Democratic politician who serves as the senior United States senator from Maryland, a seat he has held since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Maryland’s 8th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2003 to 2017 and previously served in the Maryland General Assembly from 1991 to 2003. Throughout his career, Van Hollen has been active on budget, education, gun control, and national security issues.
Van Hollen has chaired both the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from 2007 to 2009 and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee from 2017 to 2019. After Senator Ben Cardin retired in 2025, Van Hollen became Maryland’s senior United States senator.
Early Life and Background
Christopher Van Hollen Jr. was born in Karachi, Pakistan, the eldest of three children of American parents Edith Eliza Farnsworth and Christopher Van Hollen. His father was a Foreign Service officer who served as deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs from 1969 to 1972 and as U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives from 1972 to 1976. His mother worked in the Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department, where she served as chief of the intelligence bureau for South Asia.
Because of his father’s diplomatic postings, Van Hollen spent parts of his early life in Pakistan, Turkey, India, and Sri Lanka. He attended the Kodaikanal International School in Tamil Nadu, India, before returning to the United States for his junior year of high school. He finished his secondary education at Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts, where his grandfather had once taught.
Van Hollen went on to graduate from Swarthmore College in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy. He earned a Master of Public Policy concentrating in national security studies from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1985, followed by a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1990.
Path to US Politics
Van Hollen’s entry into public service began on Capitol Hill, where he worked as a legislative assistant for defense and foreign policy to U.S. Senator Charles Mathias of Maryland from 1985 to 1987. He then served as a staff member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations from 1987 to 1989, building expertise in foreign affairs that would shape his later legislative priorities.
From 1989 to 1991, he served as a legislative advisor for federal affairs to Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer. After being admitted to the Maryland bar in 1990, Van Hollen joined the law firm of Arent Fox while preparing to run for the Maryland General Assembly. In 1991, he won a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates, launching a political career that would span more than three decades.
Chris Van Hollen Career
Early Career (1991–2003)
Van Hollen served in the Maryland General Assembly from 1991 to 2003, first in the House of Delegates from 1991 to 1995 and then in the State Senate from 1995 to 2003. In the Senate, he served on the Budget and Taxation Committee and the Health and Human Services Subcommittee, where he led successful efforts to raise the tobacco tax, prohibit oil drilling in the Chesapeake Bay, mandate trigger locks for guns, and increase funding for education and healthcare. In 2002, The Washington Post called Van Hollen “one of the most accomplished members of the General Assembly.”
In 2002, Van Hollen launched a competitive Democratic primary campaign for Maryland’s 8th congressional district, defeating State Delegate Mark Kennedy Shriver and former Clinton administration aide Ira Shapiro. He then defeated eight-term Republican incumbent Connie Morella in the general election, 51.7% to 48.2%, after redistricting had reshaped the district into a more Democratic seat.
Breakthrough (2003–2017)
After entering Congress, Van Hollen built a reputation as a prolific legislator on education and federal workforce issues. The Committee for Education Funding named him Outstanding New Member of the Year in 2003, and he introduced the Keep Our Promise to America’s Children and Teachers Act to fully fund the No Child Left Behind law and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. He also passed an amendment closing a 9.5 percent loophole in student loans that had allowed lenders to pocket billions of taxpayer dollars.
In 2007, Van Hollen was named chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, leading Democratic efforts in the 2008 wave election. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi created the position of Assistant to the Speaker so that Van Hollen could attend all leadership meetings. He was elected ranking member on the House Budget Committee on November 17, 2010, and was later appointed by Pelosi to the bipartisan Committee on Deficit Reduction and to the 2013 bicameral budget conference committee.
Van Hollen championed campaign finance reform, introducing the DISCLOSE Act in 2010 and again in 2012, and in 2011 suing the Federal Election Commission over an alleged loophole that had allowed more than $135 million in undisclosed contributions during the 2010 elections. In 2014, he worked with a bipartisan group to pass the ABLE Act, which allowed people with disabilities to create tax-free savings accounts for qualified expenses, and it was signed into law on December 19, 2014.
Democratic Era (2017–Present)
Shortly after the 2016 elections, Van Hollen was selected as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for the 2018 cycle. He won his first Senate race in 2016, defeating Republican Kathy Szeliga 61% to 36% to replace retiring Senator Barbara Mikulski, and was reelected in 2022 with nearly 66% of the vote against Republican Chris Chaffee. When Senator Ben Cardin retired in 2025, Van Hollen became Maryland’s senior United States senator.
On May 15, 2022, Van Hollen announced that he had suffered a minor stroke the previous weekend and was being treated at George Washington University Hospital. He reported that he was expected to make a full recovery with no long-term effects and returned to his Senate work later in the same week. In April 2025, Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador to advocate for the release of Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia and was denied entry to the CECOT prison. In July 2025, he led a call by 29 Senate Democrats asking Secretary of State Marco Rubio to investigate the killing of Palestinian-Americans in the West Bank, and in September 2025 he visited the West Bank with Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the most dramatic moments of Van Hollen’s Senate career came on January 6, 2021, when he was walking to the Senate chamber to speak during the United States Electoral College vote count and was stopped by U.S. Capitol Police as the Capitol came under attack. He returned to his office, called President Donald Trump a “political arsonist,” and later called for Trump’s immediate removal through the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Chris Van Hollen Career Wins
Van Hollen has compiled a strong record of electoral victories and policy achievements over three decades in public office. He won a competitive Democratic primary in 2002 and defeated a Republican incumbent in the general election, then was reelected six times in the House with at least 60% of the vote. He went on to win a U.S. Senate seat in 2016 with 61% of the vote and was reelected in 2022 with nearly 66%, while also serving as a senior party leader at the national level.
U.S. Senate Highlights
Van Hollen first won his U.S. Senate seat in 2016, defeating Republican Kathy Szeliga 61% to 36% to succeed retiring Senator Barbara Mikulski. His most recent win came in 2022, when he defeated Republican Chris Chaffee with 65.8% of the vote to 34.1%. He served as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee from 2017 to 2019 and became Maryland’s senior senator in 2025.
U.S. House Highlights
Van Hollen won his first House race in 2002 by defeating eight-term Republican incumbent Connie Morella 51.7% to 48.2%, then was reelected six times with at least 60% of the vote. In 2007, he was named chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and helped lead the party’s successful 2008 wave election. He also served as ranking member on the House Budget Committee from 2010 onward and was appointed to the bipartisan Committee on Deficit Reduction.
Other Wins & Achievements
Van Hollen led successful legislative efforts in the Maryland State Senate to raise the tobacco tax, prohibit oil drilling in the Chesapeake Bay, mandate trigger locks for guns, and increase funding for education and healthcare. In 2014, he helped pass the bipartisan ABLE Act, signed into law on December 19, 2014. In 2023, the League of Conservation Voters awarded him a 100% lifetime score.
Chris Van Hollen Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
Van Hollen was born into a family with a strong record of government service. His father, Christopher Van Hollen, served as deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs from 1969 to 1972 and as U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives from 1972 to 1976. His mother, Edith Eliza Farnsworth, worked in the Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department, where she served as chief of the intelligence bureau for South Asia. Van Hollen is of Dutch descent and is Episcopalian.
Personal Life
Van Hollen married Katherine Wilkens in 1987, and the couple has three children. The family lived in Maryland throughout his tenure in the state legislature, the U.S. House, and now the U.S. Senate. He has spoken publicly about balancing the demands of public service with family life, including his decision in 2006 to forgo a Senate bid in order to spend more time with his family.