Bio
Senator Christopher Van Hollen Jr. Is an American politician and attorney. He has served as a junior U.S. Senator from Maryland under the Democrats since 2017. He also served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Maryland’s 8th district.
Van Hollen was born on January 10, 1959. He was born in Karachi, Pakistan, where his father was serving as a Foreign Service officer. He returned to the U.S., where he was enrolled at the Middlesex School in Massachusetts.
In1982, Van Hollen graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Swarthmore College. He furthered and earned a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard University in 1985. He also received a J.D. from Georgetown University’s Law Center in 1990.
Senator Chris Van Hollen Career
Van Hollen started his career in politics as a legislative assistant to Senator Charles Mathias after his Master’s degree. He worked for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1987 to 1989. He also worked as a legislative advisor for federal affairs under Governor Willian from 1989 to 1991.
In 1990, Van Hollen joined the Arent Fox law firm after passing the Maryland Bar. That same year, he won a seat at the Maryland General Assembly. He served from 1991 to 1995 in the House of Delegates. After that, he served eight years in the State Senate till 2003.
In 2002, Van Hollen won the seat of the U.S. House of Representatives. He represented the 8th Congressional District for seven terms from 2003 to 2017.
In 2016, Van Hollen ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate to replace Senator Barbara Mikulski after her retirement. He won his primaries and eased past the Republican nominee in the general election. Shortly after the elections, he became the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chairman for the 2018 electoral cycle
Senator Chris Van Hollen Accomplishments
Van Hollen is a tenacious advocate for the people of Maryland. He improved the quality of education. His administration also fostered job creation and supporting small-scale business startups for all age groups.
He supported an increase in the minimum wage, paid sick leave, an increase in child care tax credit, and equal pay for women. He is also a pro-choice advocator of ObamaCare.
While serving in the U.S. House of Reps, Van Hollen worked towards protecting the vital interests of the Marylanders. He has also worked on extending and supporting medical research and fighting cancer in children. He also passed the Able Act to support families with disabled children
Senator Chris Van Hollen Criticisms
Some people commend his initiatives on tax benefits to reconnect economic growth to middle-class prosperity.
However, some people think the measure doesn’t address the fundamental inequality issues caused by stagnant wages. Some people complain that he has not done enough for the poor or working class
