Senate Democratic leader Reid endorses Rep. Van Hollen for Senate

WASHINGTON Fri Mar 6, 2015 5:13pm EST

(Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid on Friday endorsed Representative Chris Van Hollen of Maryland for the U.S. Senate, Van Hollen's press office announced.

"Not only would Chris Van Hollen be the best and most effective person for the job, I have no doubt that he is in the best and strongest position to make sure that this Senate seat remains in Democratic hands in a state that just elected a Republican governor," Reid, whose party is in the minority in the Senate, said in the statement.

Van Hollen, 56, said earlier this week that he is running for the seat in 2016 to replace Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski, who is retiring. Van Hollen, who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2003, is the senior Democrat on the House Budget Committee.

He has been seen as someone with a bright future in the House. As an ally of Representative Nancy Pelosi, the House's top Democrat, Van Hollen had been mentioned as a possible speaker at some point if his party regained control of the House.

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