Senator Chris Van Hollen Explores 2028 Presidential Run
Maryland Democrat says he is 'kicking the tires' on a White House bid and visiting early primary states.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Senator Chris Van Hollen Explores 2028 Presidential Run
Photograph: Joe.My.God. (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Senator Chris Van Hollen is exploring a potential run for the US presidency in 2028.
- Van Hollen stated he is 'kicking the tires' and 'testing the waters' on a presidential bid.
- He recently visited Iowa and New Hampshire, key early primary states.
- Van Hollen believes Democrats have not presented a clear alternative to the Trump administration.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 12 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 2 of the 14 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
45/100
Hype
41/100
14 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
Only 2 of the 12 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Senator Chris Van Hollen is exploring a potential run for the White House in 2028. The Maryland Democrat stated he is "kicking the tires" and "testing the waters" on a presidential bid. Van Hollen recently visited Iowa and New Hampshire, states that hold early presidential primary contests. He also commented on the state of the Democratic Party, saying it needs to be clearer about what it stands for and that he does not believe Democrats have put forward a clear alternative to the Trump administration.
Disagreement on Democratic Party Debate
Senator Chris Van Hollen stated that democratic socialists have a place in the Democratic Party "as part of the debate." This comment was reported by NBC News. None of the right-rated digests mention Van Hollen's statement about democratic socialists.
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated digests mention Senator Chris Van Hollen's statement that democratic socialists have a place in the party 'as part of the debate'.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 5 times, most recently on 24 Aug 2026, 19:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
2 rated outlets
- The left-rated reports led on Senator Chris Van Hollen exploring a 2028 presidential run. Joe.My.God. published Van Hollen's full report, which included his statements about "kicking the tires" and "testing the waters" for a presidential bid. The report also quoted Van Hollen saying Democrats need to be clear about what they stand for and that he believes they have not presented a clear alternative to the Trump administration. NBC News' digest also noted Van Hollen's comment that democratic socialists have a place in the party "as part of the debate."
Centre
1 rated outlet
- The centre-rated report from cedarnews.net focused on Senator Chris Van Hollen's statement that he is "kicking the tires" on a potential 2028 presidential bid. The digest also noted that Van Hollen is sidestepping a run for Senate Democratic leader.
Right
9 rated outlets
- The right-rated reports focused on Senator Chris Van Hollen's potential 2028 presidential run. Many digests stated that Van Hollen is "testing the waters" or "considering" a presidential bid. Some reports mentioned his recent visits to New Hampshire and Iowa. The Daily Wire digest noted Van Hollen is teasing a possible run after drawing outrage for flying to El Salvador to fight for the release of a suspected MS-13 gang member. Twitchy's digest mentioned Van Hollen is not sold on a full DSA endorsement.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Senator Chris Van Hollen Explores 2028 Presidential Run?
- Of the 12 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 17% are rated left, 8% are rated centre, 75% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 14. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Senator Chris Van Hollen Explores 2028 Presidential Run left or right?
- The story itself is neither. What can be counted is who has covered it, and 75% of the 12 rated outlets on it are rated right — so far this is a story carried mostly by the right. Coverage is still arriving and that can change, which is why the figure is dated rather than fixed.
- Is the coverage of Senator Chris Van Hollen Explores 2028 Presidential Run biased?
- Senator Chris Van Hollen Explores 2028 Presidential Run is one event reported by 14 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Senator Chris Van Hollen Explores 2028 Presidential Run?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Senator Chris Van Hollen Explores 2028 Presidential Run?
- 14 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Is Senator Chris Van Hollen running for president in 2028?
- Senator Chris Van Hollen stated he is exploring a potential run for the White House in 2028. He described his current actions as 'kicking the tires' and 'testing the waters' on a presidential bid, indicating he is considering the possibility.
- Has Senator Van Hollen visited any early primary states?
- Yes, Senator Chris Van Hollen has recently visited Iowa and New Hampshire. These states are significant because they are among the first to hold presidential primary elections, often playing a crucial role in shaping the early stages of a presidential campaign.
- What does Senator Van Hollen think about the Democratic Party's message?
- Senator Van Hollen believes the Democratic Party needs to be clearer about what it stands for. He stated that Democrats have not put forward a clear alternative to the Trump administration and that he wants to be part of the debate on the party's direction.
Read it at the source
14 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
2Centre
1Right
9- Dem Sen. Chris Van Hollen Is Pondering White House Run, Not Sold on Full DSA Endorsement (opens Twitchy in a new tab)
- NEWS HEADLINES: Democrat Senator Hints At 2028 Presidential Run – 100PercentFedUp.com – by Anthony (opens U-S-NEWS.COM in a new tab)
U-S-NEWS.COM — is U-S-NEWS.COM biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Democrat Senator Hints At 2028 Presidential Run – 100PercentFedUp.com – by Anthony (opens 100% FED UP! in a new tab)
100% FED UP! — is 100% FED UP! biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Sen. Chris Van Hollen considers 2028 presidential run (opens ussanews.com in a new tab)
ussanews.com — is ussanews.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Democrat Senator Hints At 2028 Presidential Run (opens WLTReport in a new tab)
- Chris Van Hollen: I'm 'Kicking the Tires' on 2028 Presidential Run (opens Breitbart in a new tab)
- ‘Testing the waters’: Sen. Chris Van Hollen weighing run for president (opens Washington Times in a new tab)
Washington Times — is Washington Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Democratic Senator Tests 2028 Waters After Fighting To Free MS-13 Suspect (opens The Daily Wire in a new tab)
The Daily Wire — is The Daily Wire biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
2How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.


