Delaware Sen. Tom Carper to retire, will not seek reelection

WILMINGTON — U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del, will forego reelection and retire at the conclusion of his term in 2025, he announced Monday.

The 76-year-old senator was joined by his wife, Martha, on the Wilmington Riverfront Riverwalk to make the announcement, which will add an open U.S. Senate seat to an already crowded 2024 election.

“If there's ever an opportune time to step aside and pass the torch to the next generation; It's coming. In fact, it will be here on January 3, 2025, like around noon. But until then, God willing, I'll continue working 60-hour weeks, coming home on a train most nights as long as this lady will keep leaving the light on for me,” he said Monday.

During the final 20 months of his term, Sen. Carper said he would continue to prioritize clean energy and the environment, taxes and trade, health care, improving the workforce and “Delaware specific initiatives,” like expanding the Port of Wilmington and protecting the state’s coastal communities, he said.

The senior senator also noted he would continue to support the administration of his longtime friend, President Joe Biden, and the president’s 2024 reelection campaign with Vice President Kamala Harris.

Sen. Carper’s departure leaves the door open for new representation within Delaware’s congressional delegation come 2024; he recommended U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., as a suitable replacement for his seat Monday, fueling speculation the incumbent congresswoman would replace her mentor.

“We love Lisa, and I spoke with her this morning. I said, ‘You've been patiently waiting for me to get out of the way, and I'm gonna get out of the way. I hope you run and I hope you'll let me support you in that mission,’” Sen. Carper said. “And she said, ‘Yes, I will let you support me.’”

When asked if U.S. Rep. Blunt Rochester committed to running for the seat, Sen. Carper said, “Maybe, you’ll have to talk to her.”

Following the announcement, the congresswoman applauded the accomplishments of Sen. Carper’s more than four decades of serving the people of Delaware.

“No one put more miles in than Tom Carper. No one worked harder for Delaware than Tom Carper. And I’m thrilled that he’ll now get to spend more time with Martha and his wonderful sons. After all, I know that the titles of husband and father have always meant more to him than Senator,” U.S. Rep. Blunt Rochester said in a statement.

“To me, this is Tom Carper’s legacy. That he deeply loved our state of neighbors. That he worked tirelessly every single day to make it a better place. And that in his endeavor, he succeeded.”

Sen. Carper’s lengthy career in state politics began in 1976, when he was elected to his first of three terms as state treasurer. He helped Delaware receive its first AAA bond rating in the role before being elected the state’s lone congressperson in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982.

After serving five terms in the U.S. House, Sen. Carper was elected governor in 1993; he would serve two terms before going on to represent Delaware in the U.S. Senate, a role he has served in for more than two decades.

Today, Sen. Carper chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the Finance Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness in the 117th Congress.

He serves alongside the state’s junior U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, who acknowledged the role Sen. Carper played in shaping the careers of many Delaware politicians.

“Tom Carper isn’t just a colleague and a friend, he is a steady, significant leader who has shaped Delaware over decades. 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,” U.S. Sen. Coons said in part Monday.

Gov. John Carney is one of the several Delaware politicians to be mentored by Sen. Carper, stating the senator has been a “friend, a mentor and a constant source of good advice” throughout his career.

During Sen. Carper’s tenure as governor, Gov. Carney served on his staff and as his cabinet’s Secretary of Finance from 1996 to 2000.

“Sen. Carper is an institution in our state - and a servant leader who has always put the interests of Delaware families first. He has been a tireless advocate for Delaware. And in a time of increasing divisiveness, Sen. Carper continues to work across the aisle to find common ground and get things done,” Gov. Carney said in part.

“Sen. Carper is one-of-a kind. His leadership in Washington will be sorely missed - but I’m confident he’ll find ways to stay involved for the good of our state.”

Having been a mainstay in Delaware’s Democratic Party for decades, Sen. Carper said the party has “a bench as strong as any I’ve ever seen in the 50 years that I’ve called Delaware home.”

As the party prepares for the ripple effect caused by Sen. Carper’s departure, Democrats hold every statewide office, supermajorities in both houses of the General Assembly and majorities on New Castle County Council and Kent County Levy Court.

Additional reaction

“There’s not a corner in Delaware that has not been shaped and uplifted by Sen. Tom Carper’s nearly five decades of passionate service to our state. Beloved for his unique wit, his unparalleled work ethic, and his unofficial record of shaking more hands than any other Delaware elected official, Senator Carper is a servant leader to his core. 

 “He first answered the call to serve his country as a Navy flight officer, serving three tours in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. As the wife of a Navy veteran, his military service holds a special place in my heart.  

 "He later went on to become the winningest elected official in Delaware history, serving as State Treasurer, Congressman, Governor, and as U.S. Senator. Through it all, the Delawareans and the constituents he’s served have been his North Star. His work to advance the Affordable Care Act, achieve Delaware’s AAA credit rating, and lead the fight against climate change will be felt in Delaware and across the nation for generations to come. I look forward to the years of continued leadership and public service from Senator Carper, and I’m grateful for all he has done to serve our great state. Thank you, Sen. Carper."  - Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long

“For more than five decades, Tom Carper has served our state and our nation with distinction. 

"His tireless dedication and infectious spirit have improved the lives of countless Delawareans across every corner of our state. From the redevelopment of the Wilmington Riverfront, the creation of the First State National Historic Park and the protection of our beaches and inland bays to his work as a champion of the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Post Office and American infrastructure. 

"As a U.S. Navy veteran, a former state treasurer, a former U.S. Congressman, a recovering governor, as he liked to say, and nearly a quarter century as our U.S. Senator, Tom Carper’s accomplishments are almost too numerous to count, his impact on Delaware too enormous to fathom, and his legacy too great to fully comprehend. 

"Today, as we reflect on a career unlike any other, we are eternally grateful for Sen. Carper’s leadership, his friendship and, perhaps most of all, his endless enthusiasm for helping the people of Delaware.”  - Senate President Pro Tempore Dave Sokola, D-Newark; Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend, D-Newark; and Senate Majority Whip Elizabeth "Tizzy" Lockman, D-Wilmington.

“The Delaware Republican Party recognizes U.S. Sen. Tom Carper for his years of public service.  We salute Sen. Carper’s commitment to helping others and his years of service to the Delaware Community even if we did not often agree with his legislative priorities. 

"The Democrat Party has changed since Tom was elected to the House of Representatives in 1982.  It is not the party it was when he started his career.  Tom stood for small government, worked across the aisle with Republicans in the U.S. House and the Delaware General Assembly, and occasionally voted independently of the party.  That has changed too! Today, the Democrat Party and Washington D.C. are very different.

"We have been preparing to give the Delaware voters a choice between the New Democrat Party and a very different alternative when we elect Tom Carper’s successor.”  - Julianne Murray, Delaware Republican Party Chair.

"Few Delawareans have left a bigger mark on our small state than Tom Carper. During his four decades in elective office, he's taken on corruption in politics, expanded access to early childhood education, and worked tirelessly to combat the threat of climate change.

"As he continues his work in the US Senate over the next year, I know I join with Delawareans up and down the state to say, thank you for your service!" - Sen. Sarah McBride, D-Wilmington.