Sen. Tom Carper Announces Retirement After 50 Years of Public Service

Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., announced Monday that he will not seek re-election after more than 20 years in the Senate. During a news conference in Wilmington, Carper said he made the decision to “run through the tape” for the final 20 months of his term “after a good deal of prayer and introspection.”

Carper said he will spend the rest of his time in the Senate focusing on clean energy, tackling global warming and spurring economic growth, as well as ensuring the Inflation Reduction Act, Democrats’ landmark tax, climate and health care package, is fully implemented.

Carper has served in public office for nearly 50 years, beginning with his election to the New Castle County Council in 1970. He was then elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982 and the U.S. Senate in 2000.

Carper said he was confident that his former intern, Lisa Blunt Rochester, would make an excellent successor. “I’ve known Lisa since she was an intern in our congressional office,” he said, adding that she worked for his congressional office, the Delaware Department of Labor and the state’s congressional delegation.

Carper said he was proud of the work he had done in the Senate and was looking forward to the next 20 months. “I’m confident that I can continue to make a difference in the lives of Delawareans and all Americans,” he said.