Sen. Ben Cardin will not seek re-election in 2024

MARYLAND – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin announced on Monday that he will not seek re-election at the end of his current term.

Cardin was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates while still in law school at the University of Maryland in 1968, serving as Maryland Ways and Means Chair and then as one of the youngest speakers in Maryland’s history from 1979 to 1986. From 1987 to 2006, he represented Maryland’s Third Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives and served for 17 years on the House Ways & Means Committee. Cardin was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006 and is completing his third term.

Additionally, Cardin is the second-ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations and Environment & Public Works Committees. He is also a member of the Senate Finance Committee and is co-chair of the Committee on Security and Cooperation in Europe. Cardin also served as ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2015 to 2018.

“I am proud of all I have done for Maryland. I have given my heart and soul to our great state, and I thank Marylanders for trusting me as your representative for all these years. I thank my family for their support and counsel, and recognize the many sacrifices they have endured as we traveled this path together. My profound thanks also to the most dedicated staff in all of Congress, many of whom have spent all or most of their career serving alongside me,” said Cardin.

Cardin says he will continue traveling around the state during the next two years, with his top priorities including continuing progress for the Chesapeake Bay, expanding opportunities for telehealth, mental, and behavioral health. As Small Business Chair, he plans to continue working an building up the tools available to small businesses, especially women-owned, veteran-owned, minority-owned, and underserved entrepreneurs.