Carper To Retire From Senate, Making Way for New Leadership in Delaware

Senator Tom Carper of Delaware, a Democrat who has served in the Senate since 2001 and is now 78 years old, has announced that he will retire when his term ends at the end of this year.

Carper, who is the senior Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and has been a key figure in the fight against climate change in Congress, said in a statement that he wanted to give someone else the chance to take his place and bring new leadership to Delaware.

“I have decided that I will not seek re-election to the United States Senate in 2024,” he said. “This is not a decision I made lightly. But I believe it’s time for the next generation of Delawareans to step up and lead. I will be forever grateful for the honor and privilege of representing my fellow Delawareans in the United States Senate.”

Carper has been a fixture in Delaware politics for decades, serving as governor from 1993 to 2001 after a long career in the House of Representatives. He was first elected to the Senate in 2000, and has been re-elected four times since then.

During his time in Congress, Carper has been a champion of environmental causes, co-sponsoring the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act and leading efforts to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. He has also been a leading voice on transportation issues, advocating for infrastructure investments and improvements to Amtrak and other public transit systems.

Carper’s retirement opens up a Senate seat in Delaware that is considered solidly Democratic. The state has not elected a Republican senator since 1994, and in 2020 it voted overwhelmingly for Joe Biden in the presidential election.

With Carper stepping down, Democrats will now have to find a candidate to run for his seat in 2024. The primary is likely to be highly competitive, given the state’s small size and relatively small pool of potential candidates.

Possible contenders include Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long, Attorney General Kathy Jennings, and New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer, among others.

Whoever wins the nomination will likely face a Republican candidate who is expected to be heavily outspent and outmatched in the heavily Democratic state. But with Carper stepping down, the race is certain to attract national attention and could be a test of the Democratic Party’s ability to hold on to its stronghold in the Northeast.

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