Raskin ‘seriously considering’ Senate bid, to decide by July 4

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on Sunday said he’s “seriously considering” a Senate bid, with plans to make a decision on whether to run for an upper chamber seat by July 4.

“I’ve not decided. I love the House of Representatives. I love the people I serve. 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,” Raskin said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“A lot of people are encouraging me to check it out, because there’s certain constitutional functions the Senate has the House doesn’t have, like advice and consent, Supreme Court nominations, judicial confirmations, a lot of things that I’m interested in. And that’s why I’m seriously considering it, but I’ve not decided,” he said.

The Maryland lawmaker stressed that he’s not yet made a final call on whether to get in the race but said he hopes to have an answer before July 4.

He said a possible run would be “totally based on the experience I’ve had trying to defend our democracy and our freedom and the Bill of Rights against the Trump movement.”

Raskin had said at the start of May that he would “seriously investigate” a possible Senate bid, after Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) announced he wouldn’t be seeking reelection.

After struggling with cancer, Raskin said he finished chemotherapy in April and is in remission.