Thomas Richard Carper

Democrat senior Senator of Delaware

  • Senator

    Delaware

    January 3, 2019 - January 3, 2025

202-224-2441

@SenatorCarper

carper.senate.gov

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17

Congresses Served

5

House Terms

4

Senate Terms

January 1, 1947 (78 years old)

Birthday

  • American politician and former military officer
  • Served as the senior United States senator from Delaware since 2001
  • Member of the Democratic Party
  • Previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1993
  • Served as the 71st governor of Delaware from 1993 to 2001
  • Born in Beckley, West Virginia
  • Graduated from Ohio State University and earned an MBA from the University of Delaware
  • Served as a naval flight officer in the U.S. Navy from 1968 until 1973, including active duty in the Vietnam War
  • Retired from the U.S. Naval Reserve with the rank of Captain
  • Worked for the state of Delaware in its economic development office after military service
  • Elected state treasurer of Delaware, serving from 1977 to 1983
  • Chaired the Subcommittee on Economic Stabilization during his time in the House
  • Governed Delaware as a moderate, business-oriented New Democrat
  • Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000, defeating Republican incumbent William Roth
  • Re-elected to the Senate in 2006, 2012, and 2018
  • Serves as one of four deputy Democratic whips and chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
  • Serves on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Finance Committee
  • Last Vietnam War veteran to serve in the Senate
  • Advocated for economic development, business recruitment, and tax reduction as governor
  • Promoted mentoring programs and established the Delaware Mentoring Council
  • Advocated for better control of Delaware’s Democratic Party organization
  • Supported legislation to limit class action lawsuits and to restrict personal bankruptcy
  • Strong proponent of free trade
  • Supported additional funding for school choice programs and charter schools
  • Advocated for increased funding for railroad projects and rail security
  • Proposed a 25-cent raise in the federal gasoline tax for infrastructure improvement and debt reduction
  • Criticized for a postal-bailout bill that would underwrite pension obligations for retired postal workers
  • Supported executive action to reduce gun violence and voted for gun control measures
  • Co-wrote the “Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act of 2010”
  • Introduced an amendment to limit state regulators from enforcing consumer regulations on national banks
  • Voted against Bernie Sanders’s amendment to include a $15/hour minimum wage in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
  • Changed stance to support same-sex marriage after previously signing a law defining marriage as between a man and a woman
  • Voted yes on the 2002 Iraq War Resolution
  • Commutes over 100 miles by Amtrak train from his home in Wilmington to the United States Capitol
  • Married twice and has two children; member of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware
  • Announced he will not seek reelection in 2024 and endorsed U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester