Ben Cardin (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Maryland. He assumed office on January 3, 2007. His current term ends on January 3, 2025.
Cardin (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maryland. He won in the general election on November 6, 2018.
During the 111th and 113th Congress, Cardin chaired the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. He was the Ranking Senate Democrat on the committee in the 115th Congress.
Cardin previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Maryland's 3rd Congressional District from 1987 to 2007. Before that, he served on the Maryland House of Delegates from 1967 to 1987.
As of a 2014 analysis of multiple outside rankings, Cardin is one of the most reliable Democratic votes, meaning he can be considered a safe vote for the Democratic Party in Congress.
On May 1, 2023, Cardin announced he was not running for re-election in 2024.
Cardin was born in 1943 in Baltimore, MD, where he also attended high school. After graduating from Baltimore City College in 1961, he went on to earn his B.A. at the University of Pittsburgh in 1964 and his J.D. at the University of Maryland in 1967. Cardin has also worked as a lawyer.
