CONSIDERING: Is a run for a Maryland Senate seat in the picture for Rep. Jaime Raskin?
Now that his cancer is in remission, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) says that he is “seriously considering” a run for the Senate and expects to announce a decision before July 4th.
Appearing on CNN‘s State of the Union on Sunday, Raskin teased host Dana Bash regarding a campaign to replace the retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D- MD).
“I have not decided,” Rep. Raskin said, but the Democrat declared that the door is absolutely open and he’s got the backing already should he decide to give it a go.
“I love the House of Representatives,” Rep. Raskin, the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, continued.
“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 every 25 or 30 years. A lot of people are encouraging me to check it out.”
Rep. Raskin has survived two bouts of cancer and the unimaginable loss of his son whom he buried just before enduring the January 6th attack on Congress.
He also served as an impeachment manager the second time Donald Trump was impeached, along with serving on the January 6th House Select Committee.
Calling him a “fighter” is to just scratch the surface of what Jamie Raskin is made of.
Rep. Raskin could easily remain in place because he’s still concerned about the MAGA faction within the House, which he’s dubbed “The Chaos Caucus.”
“There is a MAGA extreme element within the Republican Caucus, which really wanted to plunge the country into default and economic crisis,” Rep. Raskin told Bash.
hopefully*”That’s the chaos caucus. I mean, these are the same people that supported Donald Trump’s government’s shutdown.”
Rep. Raskin told Bash that while he didn’t want to run against any of the other “awesome political leaders in Maryland” he’s already spoken with other high-ranking Democrats regarding his prospects.
US Rep. David Trone (D-MD) has thrown his hat into the ring, as has Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, who was endorsed by former House Democratic leader Steny Hoyer, the senior member of the Maryland congressional delegation.
“It’s totally based on the experience I have had trying to defend our democracy and our freedom and the Bill of Rights against the Trump movement, which I think is such a danger.”
While he’s “waiting for my hair and eyebrows to grow back,” Rep. Raskin will also think about his political future.
“I’m hoping before the Fourth of July, I will have an answer for everybody.”
Watch Rep. Jamie Raskin’s full interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, which also includes his hot take on the latest Trump tape, below.
*THIS IS AN OPINION COLUMN THAT SOLELY REPRESENTS THE OPINIONS OF TARA DUBLIN. HOORAY FOR THE FREE PRESS!
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