特拉华州资深参议员汤姆·卡珀周一宣布他将退出此次竞选选举不会寻求第五个任期，成为最近退休的参议院民主党人。卡珀是特拉华州政坛的不朽人物，周一在他心爱的威尔明顿海滨公园的岸边公布了他的计划，他的妻子陪伴了他37年。
“如果有一个合适的时机让出位置，将火炬传递给下一代，它就要来了，事实上，它将在2025年1月3日中午左右到来，”他说。
Carper加入了民主党大会越来越多的不寻求连任的同事名单，包括密歇根州的Debbie Stabenow参议员和马里兰州的Ben Cardin参议员。
参议员汤姆·卡珀。2023年5月22日，在特拉华州威尔明顿举行的新闻发布会上。
马特·洛克/美联社
Carper的举动为民主党打开了一个安全的席位，否则对于参议院多数党来说将是艰难的一年。
该州唯一的女众议员丽莎·布朗特·罗切斯特有望接替他。
现任环境和公共工程委员会主席，Carper自1977年以来一直担任公职，担任州政府官员，然后担任国会众议院议员，在赢得两届州长任期之前，于2001年担任现任参议员。
他过去曾表示，他几乎在2018年退休，但在白宫与时任总统唐纳德·特朗普重新考虑。
进入政界之前，卡珀在美国军队服役了23年，曾三次赴越南服役。
Tom Carper won't seek reelection, latest Senate Democrat to retire
Longtime Delaware Sen. Tom Carper announced Monday he's calling it quits thiselectioncycle and won't seek a fifth term,becoming the latest Senate Democrat to retire.Carper, an enduring figure in Delaware politics, made his plans known Monday along the banks of his beloved Wilmington waterfront park with his wife of 37 years at his side.
"If there was ever an opportune time to step aside and pass the torch to the next generation, it’s coming, and in fact, it will be here on January 3, 2025, right around noon," he said.
Carper joins a growing list of colleagues from the Democratic conference not seeking reelection, including Sens. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Maryland's Ben Cardin.
Carper's move opens up a safe seat for Democrats in an otherwise difficult year for the party in the Senate majority.
The state's lone congresswoman -- Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester -- is favored to succeed him.
Currently chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Carper has been in public office since 1977, serving as a state official, then as a House member in Congress, before winning two terms as governor and then taking his current Senate seat in 2001.
He has said in the past that he nearly retired in 2018 but reconsidered with then-President Donald Trump in the White House.
Carper spent 23 years in the U.S. military before entering politics, serving three tours in Vietnam.
On Monday, the senator noted that he's that last Vietnam vet serving in the Senate.
