Longtime Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) announced on Monday that he will retire at the end of his term in 2024, opening up a Senate seat from solidly Democratic Delaware for the first time in more than a decade. The 76-year old Carper, who has served in the Senate since 2001, has aligned with the moderate wing of the party. At a press conference in Wilmington, Carper said it was “time to pass the torch to the next generation” and explicitly endorsed a successor: Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), the state's lone U.S. House representative. Carper told reporters he spoke to Blunt Rochester on Monday morning and told her, “I hope you run and I hope you’ll let me support you.” Blunt Rochester, a Black woman, could make history if elected: Delaware has never sent a woman, or a person of color, to either chamber of Congress. But it’s likely a primary race could get crowded; in 2018, Carper faced a progressive challenger himself.
