Democrats are scrambling to figure out how to win back the House in 2022.
But now they have to worry about holding on to the Senate.
That’s why Joe Biden turned red with rage after this four-term Democrat Senator announced he’s done.
Four-term Delaware Senator Tom Carper recently set off alarm bells in the Democrat Party when he announced he will not seek reelection in 2024.
Carper plans to focus on environmental issues
The 76-year-old Democrat leaves an opening in a state that could easily flip to the GOP with the right candidate and campaign.
And while Carper has served 24 years in the Senate, most Democrats expected him to return for at least one more term.
But Carper had different plans.
“Some 59 years have passed since I first raised my hand as a 17-year-old Naval midshipman and P3 mission aircraft commander,” Carper said at a press conference.
He then explained that his final 20 months in office would be a “sprint” to ram through as many environmental and tax laws as possible before he leaves the Senate.
Carper was first elected to public office in 1977 as Delaware State Treasurer.
Carper went on to win 14 statewide elections without a single loss.
He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983-1993 and also served two terms as Governor.
“If I ran for a fifth term in the Senate and won, it would be a record 15 statewide elections,” Carper noted. “After a good deal of prayer and introspection, and more than a few heart-to-heart conversations, we’ve decided we should run through the tape over the next 20 months and finish the important work that my staff and I have begun on a wide range of fronts, many of them begun in partnership with Democrat and Republican colleagues in the Senate and in the House.”
Democrats have a big problem
Carper’s retirement adds to a growing list of states that Democrats will have to defend in 2024.
And in a year where 23 of the 33 Senate seats up for reelection are held by Democrats, the number of retirements are even more troubling.
Carper becomes the fourth Democrat Senator to announce his retirement ahead of the 2024 cycle.
He joins Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Ben Cardin D-MD), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).
No Senate Democrats had announced their retirement at this point in the 2022 cycle.
While California and Maryland are both expected to stay in Democrat hands, Delaware and Michigan could be problematic for the Democrats.
Delaware is small and has very Republican leanings in the southern half of the state.
If Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester and Governor John Carney go through a nasty Democrat Primary, it could open the door for a well-funded GOP candidate to emerge victorious.
At the very least, Carper’s retirement means Democrats will not be able to count on an easy victory in Delaware.
While Carper has announced his support for Lisa Blunt Rochester, the radical leftist Congresswoman would be an easier target for the GOP than popular Democrat Governor John Carney.
Patriot Political will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.
