Ben Cardin

American lawyer and politician (born 1943)

Benjamin Louis "Ben" Cardin (born October 5, 1943) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. He serves as the senior United States Senator from Maryland, in office since 2007.

Ben Cardin
United States Senator
from Maryland
Assumed office
January 3, 2007
Serving with Chris Van Hollen
Preceded byPaul Sarbanes
Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Assumed office
April 2, 2015
Preceded byBob Menendez
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Maryland's 3rd district
In office
January 3, 1987 – January 3, 2007
Preceded byBarbara Mikulski
Succeeded byJohn Sarbanes
Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates
In office
January 6, 1979 – January 3, 1987
Preceded byJohn Hanson Briscoe
Succeeded byClayton Mitchell
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 42nd district
In office
January 6, 1967 – January 3, 1987
Preceded byMaurice Cardin
Succeeded byDavid Shapiro
Personal details
Born
Benjamin Louis Cardin

(1943-10-05) October 5, 1943 (age 80)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Myrna Edelman
Children2
EducationUniversity of Pittsburgh (BA)
University of Maryland, Baltimore (JD)
WebsiteSenate website

Before his election to the Senate, Cardin, who has never lost an election, was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Maryland's 3rd congressional district (1987-2007). He also served in the Maryland House of Delegates (1967–87), serving as Speaker (1979–87). He was the youngest Speaker in Maryland history.

Cardin was elected to succeed Paul Sarbanes in the 2006 U.S. Senate election, defeating Republican Michael Steele, the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, by a margin of 54% to 44%. He was re-elected in 2012 with 55% of the vote.

He became the senior Senator on January 3, 2017 upon Barbara Mikulski's retirement.

In May 2023, Cardin announced he would not run for re-election in 2024.[1]

References change

  1. Barker, Jeff (May 1, 2023). "Longtime Maryland U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin won't seek re-election, creating rare Senate vacancy". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 1, 2023.

Other websites change

  Media related to Ben Cardin at Wikimedia Commons