Maryland Democratic Senator Ben Cardin won’t seek re-election next year

Senator Ben Cardin, a Democrat from Maryland, announced on Monday that he would not seek re-election in the upcoming 2024 cycle.

Mr Cardin released a statement on his website, which declined to give a specific reason but noted his more than a half century in politics. First serving in the Maryland General Assembly, he was elected to Congress in 1986 and joined the Senate after being appointed to finish the term of Paul Sarbanes in 2007.

“I have run my last election and will not be on the ballot in 2024, but there is still much work to be done. During the next two years, I will continue to travel around the state, listening to Marylanders and responding to their needs. My top priorities include continuing our progress for the Chesapeake Bay, helping the people of Baltimore City deal with the challenges they face, and permanently expanding opportunities for telehealth, mental and behavioral health,” said the senator.

The news sets up a Democrat-versus-Democrat battle for his seat, as the state is reliably blue and has not elected a Republican to the Senate since the 1980s. The only Republican with a reasonable shot of winning Mr Cardin’s job is Larry Hogan, the former governor, who recently announced that he would not seek the GOP nomination for president after stoking months’ worth of speculation.

A spokesperson for Mr Hogan did not immediately return a request for comment from The Independent.

Chris Van Hollen, Mr Cardin’s colleague in the Maryland Senate delegation, wished the senior senator well in a statement shortly after the announcement.

“Senator Cardin’s tireless work wouldn’t be possible without the love and support of Myrna and his family. I want to thank each of them because we are all lucky to have a Marylander like Ben as our senior Senator. I am certain that Senator Cardin will continue to work each and every day of this term to move forward on our shared priorities, and I’ll continue to work shoulder-to-shoulder with him and Team Maryland on these efforts. I look forward to accomplishing much more together in the year and a half ahead,” he said.

The most likely contender for the seat in the Maryland Democraic machine in Jamie Raskin, the standout congressman from Montgomery County who stole the spotlight during the January 6 hearings last year on Capitol Hill. Fresh off an announcement of his own that his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is in remission, the congressman is easily the most prominent member of the state’s congressional delegation and is widely considered among Democrats in Maryland to be the favourite to succeed Mr Cardin.

He could face a number of potential challengers, however, not least including his own colleagues in the House, David Trone, and John Sarbanes, son of the late US senator who once held the same seat. Donna Edwards, the former congresswoman who was the first Black member of the US House from Maryland, could also mount a bid. A source familiar with her plans also confirmed to The Independent that Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller is also considering competing for the seat.

Mr Raskin wrote in his own statement that the senator had served with integrity for more than 50 years and had shown a “prodigious work ethic”.

“I salute him and have congratulated him on a truly amazing and inspiring career devoted to service of our people and the old-fashioned public values of honesty and decency. I want to thank him, his beloved wife Myrna and their whole family for their outstanding and continuing contributions to our state,” wrote Mr Raskin.