Democratic Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware won't seek reelection
Democratic Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware announced Monday that he will not seek reelection to a fifth term in the U.S. Senate.
Carper's announcement paves the way for a wideopen contest for the seat he has held since 2001 in heavily-blue Delaware. It also ensures that his unblemished record of never having lost an election during more than four decades in politics remains intact.
Carper, 76, said at a Wilmington news conference that he and his wife, Martha, began talking months ago about what he should do next. The options, according to the former twoterm governor, were vying for a record 15th statewide election win, or to just “ride off into the sunset and call it day.”
“After a good deal of prayer and introspection, and more than a few heartto-heart conversations, we've decided I should do neither, but, rather I should should run through the tape over the next 20 months and finish the important work that my staff and I have begun on a wide range of fronts, many of them begun in partnership with Democrat and Republican
colleagues in the Senate and in the House,” he said.
Carper is one of several incumbent senators who have announced that they will not seek reelection next year. The others are Democrats Ben Cardin of Maryland, Dianne Feinstein of California and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, and Republican Mike Braun of Indiana.
Carper said his focus over the next year and a half will be helping ensure implementation of environmental provisions in the 2021 infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act.
“Implementation of both laws is indispensable if we
are ultimately to win the battle against global warming while creating tens of millions of American jobs in the years to come,” he said.
Christy Goldfuss, chief policy impact officer for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said Carper “has been a voice of reason and a champion for progress” on the environment for decades.
Carper said his other priorities include passage of permitting legislation that accelerates clean-energy projects, expanding economic engagement in the Indo-Pacific region, and ensuring federal funding for school-based child mental health services.