Christopher J. Van Hollen Jr. is an American politician serving as the junior United States Senator from Maryland since January 3, 2017. From 2003 to 2017, he held the position of U.S. Representative for Maryland’s 8th congressional district. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Chris Van Hollen is a graduate of Swarthmore College, the John F. Kennedy School of Public Policy at Harvard University, and Georgetown University Law Center where he attended night school.