Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) announced his retirement from Congress after 21 years.

“Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger announced today he will not seek reelection at the end of his current term after representing Maryland’s Second District for more than 21 years and serving in local government for 16 years prior. Ruppersberger, a Baltimore native and senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, leaves a legacy of common sense leadership and world-class constituent service,” Ruppersberger’s office stated in a press release.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision for me because, now more than ever, Congress needs thoughtful, end-game representatives like me – members who care more about constituents and our country and less about cable news hits. But it is time to pass the torch to a younger generation of leaders and I am looking forward to spending more time with my family,” Ruppersberger said.

From Dutch Ruppersberger’s office:

Congressman Ruppersberger served a record 12 years on the House Intelligence Committee, including four as its top Democrat, or Ranking Member, and was among the first lawmakers to address the issue of cybersecurity. He championed policies to counter threats including Russia, China and terrorism. He and his Republican counterpart were the first dual-recipients of the top award in the intelligence community for their bipartisan and pragmatic leadership, which produced five authorization bills, two cyber bills and transparency reform after years of gridlock.

He also served a total of 12 years on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for allocating hundreds of billions of federal dollars each year. He leveraged the role to secure hundreds of millions of dollars for local projects benefitting the Chesapeake Bay, Port of Baltimore, schools, hospitals, police and fire departments and much more. As a member of the Defense subcommittee, he has championed resources for veterans and active-duty troops. In fact, in his first year, he created “Operation Hero Miles” to enable patriotic Americans to donate frequent flyer miles to deployed troops who were previously paying for connecting flights home out-of-pocket. He also currently serves as Chairman of the United States Naval Academy Board of Visitors and co-chair of the bipartisan House Army Caucus.

According to Roll Call, Ruppersberger’s district is reliably Democrat and voted for Joe Biden over Donald Trump by 21 points in 2020.

From Roll Call:

Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race this year for the seat Solid Democratic.

His retirement means three of Maryland’s eight seats in the House, all held by Democrats, will be open this year. Rep. John Sarbanes said in October he would retire after this term, while Rep. David Trone is running for the seat in the Senate being vacated by Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin’s retirement.

Two Democrats had filed to run in the 2nd District even before Ruppersberger’s announcement: state Del. Harry Bhandari and Bryan Scott Moore. Local Democratic party leaders expect a third candidate, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, to enter the race as well. Olszewski launched an exploratory fundraising committee last summer, saying at the time that he’d only run if Ruppersberger retired.

Maryland’s primary is May 14.

 

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.


We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.