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Sen. Thomas R. Carper (D-Del.) said Monday that will not seek reelection to a fifth term next year, ending a political career that has spanned nearly a half-century and opening a seat in a Democratic-leaning state, potentially for a historic successor.
“If there’s an opportune time to step aside and pass the torch to the next generation, it’s coming,” Carper, 76, said at a news conference on the riverfront in Wilmington, Del., at which he signaled his support for Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D), the state’s first Black member of Congress, as his successor.
Carper, the chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, has served in the Senate since 2001. He won his first election in politics in 1976, becoming state treasurer in Delaware. He later served in the U.S. House and as Delaware’s governor.
He pledged to “run through the tape” during the remainder of his Senate term, which ends in January 2025, including helping with the…
This article was written by John Wagner and originally published on www.washingtonpost.com