Morning Digest: Longtime Democratic senator announces retirement and asks preferred successor to run

_{The Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest is compiled by David Nir, Jeff Singer, and Stephen Wolf, with additional contributions from Daniel Donner, David Jarman, Steve Singiser, James Lambert and David Beard.}

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Leading Off

● DE-Sen: Delaware Sen. Tom Carper, a moderate Democrat who has held statewide office since 1976, announced Monday that he would not seek a fifth term next year. The senator also made his preferred successor clear in his departure speech, in which he asked Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester to run. Blunt Rochester, who holds the state's only House seat, became both the first woman and Black person to represent Delaware in Congress with her 2016 victory, and she'd make history again should she replace Carper.

Blunt Rochester, when asked earlier this month about running for this seat, told Punchbowl News, “Should the opportunity present itself, I’m interested.” The congresswoman didn’t say anything about her plans Monday, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s team volunteered that he’d contacted her to let her know he “believes she could be a really good senator and he looks forward to sitting down with her soon.” A few news outlets have speculated the termed-out Gov. John Carney could run as well, but he hasn’t shown any obvious interest yet.