In a recent announcement, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) stated that he will not be running for the Senate seat that will be left vacant by retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) in 2024. Instead, Raskin has decided to run for reelection to the House of Representatives in Maryland’s 8th District. The news was shared in a lengthy statement released on Friday.
Raskin, one of Maryland’s most prominent Democrats, was seen as a strong contender for the open Senate seat. Cardin, who is 79 years old, had already announced in May that he would not be seeking reelection.
Just last month, Raskin had expressed his serious consideration for the Senate seat during an interview on CNN. He noted that opportunities like this rarely arise, and it could be another 30 years before another seat becomes available.
Raskin gained significant attention during the term of former President Donald Trump for his role in leading efforts to impeach the former president. He served as a member of the House committee investigating the Capitol breach on January 6, 2021, and he currently holds the position of ranking member on the House Oversight Committee.
In December 2022, Raskin revealed that he had been diagnosed with lymphoma, which he described as a serious but curable form of cancer. However, in April 2023, he announced that he had completed his chemo-immunotherapy treatments and was in remission, with a 90 percent prognosis of no relapse.
In his statement on Friday, Raskin reaffirmed his opposition to Trump and his supporters, stating that they “must be stopped in their political tracks.” He called on his friends and supporters to elect sweeping Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress and secure a landslide victory for Joe Biden and the Democrats in 2024.
Raskin acknowledged that if these were normal times, he would likely have chosen to run for Cardin’s Senate seat. However, he emphasized that these are not normal times, as the fight for democratic institutions, freedom, and social progress in America, as well as human rights and opportunities worldwide, is still ongoing.
During his decision-making process, Raskin received compelling arguments from friends, family, and political leaders from all sides urging him to run for the Senate seat. He expressed his gratitude for their wise counsel and insight and assured everyone that he would do whatever it takes to ensure that the new Senator from Maryland would be a strong, true-blue Democrat with broad support in the state.
Other candidates who are vying to succeed Cardin include Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) and Prince George County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.
The balance of power in the U.S. Senate currently stands at 51-49 in favor of the Democrats. In the upcoming elections, several swing states will have seats up for grabs. Notably, three Democrats are running in states that Trump won in 2020: Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Jon Tester (D-Mont.).
Overall, Raskin’s decision not to run for the Senate seat in 2024 and instead seek reelection to the House of Representatives reflects his commitment to continuing the fight for democratic values in America.
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