Senator Ben Cordin of Maryland is a longtime Democrat. He announced his retirement on Monday. That clears the way for more competitive primaries to replace him in 2024, especially among Democrats in deep-blue states.
Maryland’s liberal-leaning voters haven’t sent a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 1980, and the GOP has just one member of the eight-member congressional delegation.
“I contested my last election and will not contest the polls in 2024, but there is still a lot of work to be done,” said the 79-year-old Mr. Cardin said in a statement. “Over the next two years, I will continue to travel the state, listening to Marylanders and responding to their needs.”
Mr. Cardin’s replacements include top Democrats from Maryland, including Reps. Jamie Raskin and David Drone, and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.
On the Republican side, there is already speculation that popular former governor Larry Hogan said in March that he would not run for president.
In an interview, Mr. Cardin declined to endorse a successor, but said he hoped Democrats would fill the seat.
His election to the Senate in 2006 made him the third direct representative from Maryland’s third congressional district to join the chamber. The House seat is now held by Mr. John Sarbanes, son of Cardin’s predecessor, Senator Paul Sarbanes, holds the seat.
Majority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer last month tapped Mr. Named Cardin, who is on leave recovering from singles, but Republicans blocked the move. Without his vote, Democrats could not advance stalled judicial appointments.
In a video announcing his retirement, which he recorded with his wife, Myrna Cardin, Mr. At Cardin, Magnitsky touched on the highlights of a career that included sanctions, international punishments for human rights abuses, and environmental protections for the Chesapeake Bay.
Much of his motivation in his 58 years in elected office, Mr. Cardin said in the video, “Returning to tzedakah, part of our Jewish heritage to help those less fortunate.”
Mr. Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates before being elected to Congress. Cardin, in an interview Monday, said he hopes to spend his final two years in the Senate focusing on helping small businesses.
