Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) will not run for a 10th term in the House after 18 years serving in the chamber, he announced Thursday.
“I’m not going anywhere for the next fourteen months. That’s what’s left in my term and I’m committed to finishing strong,” he said.
Sarbanes said that he plans to return to nonprofit work, which he “found great reward in” before serving in public office.
“For some time now, I have found myself drawn back to that kind of work — wanting to explore the many opportunities to serve that exist outside of elected office,” he said.
Sarbanes’ exit opens a seat in the deeply blue 3rd Congressional District in Maryland, where there is sure to be a robust Democratic primary heading into 2024. Maryland’s 3rd District was previously represented by Ben Cardin, Barbara Mikulski, Sarbanes’ father Paul, and Nancy Pelosi’s father, Thomas D’Alesandro Jr. In its various gerrymandering iterations, the district has been represented by a Democrat since 1927.
