Democrat Ben Cardin of Maryland, who has represented the State of Maryland in the Senate since 2007, on Monday announced his retirement. Cardin is an Orthodox Jew and a great friend of Israel, although his relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the years has been strained.
Cardin, 79, issued a statement saying, “I have run my last election and will not be on the ballot in 2024, but there is still much work to be done. During the next two years, I will continue to travel around the state, listening to Marylanders and responding to their needs.”
Cardin and his family attended the Modern Orthodox Beth Tfiloh Congregation near their home, with which the family had been affiliated for three generations.
Senator Cardin voted against President Obama’s proposed nuclear deal with Iran in 2015, but his vote did not deny Obama the required number of senate votes to support his eventual veto of a Republican rejection. Cardin expressed reservations about the Iran deal ahead of the vote, but unlike Senator Chuck Schumer of New York and Bob Menendez of New Jersey, the two other Democratic Senators who opposed the deal, his decision came too late to have a tangible influence on the outcome.
Cardin, who served as a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and played a prominent role in forging the Nuclear Agreement Review Act that made Congress pivotal in approving or rejecting a deal with Iran, told the Baltimore Sun at the time, “There’s high risk in both directions, but I think the risk is higher in the long run by going forward with this deal. There is no reason to believe Iran won’t continue its past activities.”
Cardin criticized Netanyahu for his controversial speech before Congress, without White House approval. The Senator told NPR that Netanyahu’s decision to speak was “inappropriate,” and added, “I don’t think he has been credible for many of us.” But he agreed with Netanyahu that the deal had problems: “Well, we knew the Prime Minister was opposed to the framework, so we’re not surprised by his view against the agreement. But I must tell you, Israel’s security issues are of major concern. We don’t want to see an arms race in the Middle East, so it is a factor.”
Cardin was a co-sponsor in December 2016 of a Senate resolution against UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which condemned Israeli settlement building in the liberated territories as a violation of international law. Cardin said that “Congress will take action against efforts at the UN, or beyond, that use Resolution 2334 to target Israel.” As it happened, the US did not veto the resolution, in a gesture of hostile farewell from Obama to Bibi.
Cardin supported President Donald Trump’s 2020 decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. He stated at the time: “Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel and the location of the US Embassy should reflect this fact.”
Cardin and Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) proposed the Israel Anti-Boycott Act in late 2018 making it illegal for companies to engage in boycotts against Israel and Israeli settlements in the territories.
The NY Times on Tuesday mentioned Maryland Democrats Jamie Raskin, David Trone, and Angela Alsobrooks, as potential replacements for Senator Cardin. Former Governor Larry Hogan was mentioned as the Republican contender, although the last time Maryland elected a Republican to the Senate was in 1980.
