Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) says he is hoping to make a decision on whether he will run for Maryland‘s open Senate seat before July 4.
Raskin says he is “seriously considering” running for the seat currently held by retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), while speaking on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.
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“I’m hoping before the Fourth of July, I will have an answer for everybody. The election is not until May 24, 2024 — the primary, and then the election is a year and a half away,” Raskin said.
Raskin has reiterated that he has not made a decision on whether he will pursue the Senate seat instead of running for reelection to his House seat.
“I have not decided. I love the House of Representatives, I love the people I serve with, and I love being in the people’s house, but as some of my House colleagues have pointed out, these Senate seats only open up over 25 or 30 years,” Raskin said.
“A lot of people are encouraging me to check it out because there’s certain constitutional functions that the Senate has that the House doesn’t have, like advice and consent, Supreme Court nominations, judicial confirmations. A lot of things I’m interested in. That’s why I’m seriously considering it, but I have not decided,” Raskin said.
When asked about concerns surrounding the age of another Democrat on the 2024 ballot, President Joe Biden, Raskin defended Biden, saying he should be judged on his record rather than his age.
“You know, America is a country that loves youth and vitality, which is why we have laws against age discrimination, because we tend to favor youthfulness and the new thing. In a lot of countries, people who have been in office a longer period of time are praised for their wisdom. And I think that Joe Biden rightly says that he has grown very wise in his many decades in public office. And I respect that,” Raskin said.
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“So I think that he deserves to be judged by the results of his administration and what he’s gotten done in terms of a bipartisan infrastructure law, the Inflation Reduction Act, lowering prescription prices. Really, that’s what should matter to us as the people,” he added.
Biden, 80, fell during the Air Force Academy graduation ceremony last week, renewing concerns over Biden’s age. The White House confirmed Biden was “fine” after the fall, which appeared to be caused by a sandbag on the stage.
