Sen. Thomas R. Carper (D-Del.) said Monday that he 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 implementation of climate provisions in the landmark Inflation Reduction Act.
Carper’s decision to retire opens the door for an expected primary bid for Blunt Rochester, the state’s sole representative in Congress and both the first woman and first Black person to hold the office.
Carper told reporters that he spoke with Blunt Rochester earlier Monday. “I said, ‘You’ve been patient, waiting for me to get out of the way, and I’m going to get out of the way,’” Carper said.
He added that he had told Blunt Rochester that he hopes she runs and that he hopes she will welcome his support.
“She said, ‘Yes, I will let you support me,’” Carper said.
Blunt Rochester recently signaled that she’s interested in the seat.
“Should the opportunity present itself, I’m in,” she said this month at an event hosted by Punchbowl News.
Following Carper’s announcement, Blunt Rochester tweeted a photo of her and the senator but made no mention of her intentions.
“No one has put more miles in than Tom Carper,” she wrote. “No one has worked harder for Delaware than Tom Carper. Thank you, TC.”
No one has put more miles in than Tom Carper.
No one has worked harder for Delaware than Tom Carper.
Thank you, TC pic.twitter.com/G2wAJjwEpg
— Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (@RepLBR) May 22, 2023
Blunt Rochester won reelection last year with more than 55 percent of the vote and would be well-positioned for a Senate primary facing the same statewide electorate. Every statewide official in Delaware is a Democrat.
Only two Black women — Democrats Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois and Kamala D. Harris of California — have served in the U.S. Senate. There are no Black women in the chamber in this Congress.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) spoke with Blunt Rochester by phone shortly after Carper’s announcement, according to his office.
“He told her he believes she could be a really good Senator and he looks forward to sitting down with her soon,” Schumer’s office said in a statement.
The 2024 Senate race in Delaware is not high on the target list for Republicans nationally as they seek to win back control of the chamber during a cycle in which Democrats are defending several more probable targets for flipping seats.
Carper, the sole Vietnam War veteran serving in the Senate, has developed a reputation as a consensus-builder during his more-than-two-decades as a senator. He has focused heavily on his committee work and counts among his achievements legislation to raise fuel efficiency standards and reduce diesel emissions.
At his news conference, Carper described his work on the committee as “a labor of love that I will always cherish.”
In recent weeks, Carper played a role in discussions over permitting reform for energy projects, a subject that has become wrapped into negotiations over raising the nation’s debt ceiling.
After the retirement announcement, Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) called Carper “a steady, significant leader who has shaped Delaware over decades.” He added: “Across his more-than-50-years of service to our state and nation, he never stopped focusing on economic development, and despite his substantial accomplishments in the Senate, he’s never stopped thinking as a governor — focused on working across the aisle, solving complex problems, and making a lasting difference.”
Schumer called Carper “a conscientious, hard-working, honorable, and effective Senator who has done so much for his beloved Delaware and America, particularly in protecting our precious environment and strengthening our transportation systems.”
Schumer added in his statement, “So many important pieces of legislation from postal reform to reducing the poisonous effect of methane in our atmosphere would not have happened without Tom’s diligence and persistence.”