U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin said Friday he will not run next year for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retirement of Democrat Ben Cardin.

“At this moment, I believe the best way for me to make the greatest difference in American politics in 2024 and beyond is this: to run for reelection to the House of Representatives in Maryland’s extraordinary 8th District,” the congressman said in a written statement.

Raskin, 60, a former constitutional law professor with a national profile, is in his fourth term and is the top-ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, which investigates government misconduct. He was prominent in a House committee’s investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Raskin said in his statement that “in normal times” he likely would have pursued the Senate opening.

“But these are not normal times and we are still in the fight of our lives for democratic institutions, freedom and basic social progress in America as well as human rights and opportunity for people all over the world,” the congressman said.

“If I had two political careers, I would gladly give one of them to the year-and-a-half campaign for the Senate, a prospect that remains alluring to me because of my profound love for our state and the incredible people who live here,” he said.

But Raskin said he could be more useful mobilizing support to”build up Democratic majorities in the House and Senate” andto chair the oversight committee should Democrats regain control of the House next year.

Among the candidates in the race for Cardin’s seat are U.S. Rep. David Trone, 67, who represents Frederick County and Western Maryland; Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, 52; and Montgomery County Council member Will Jawando, 40.

Raskin’s 8th Congressional District in Congress includes much of the Washington suburbs located within Montgomery County. He lives in Takoma Park.

Raskin recently completed chemotherapy treatment for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and he said “the doctors are extremely optimistic.”

Cardin said May 1 that he would not seek reelection, ending a nearly six-decade run in Maryland politics and creating a scramble to fill a rare vacancy in the closely divided Senate.

Trone, who is in his third term, has focused on criminal justice reform, combating fentanyl overdoses and improving access to mental health.

Alsobrooks, a former Prince George’s County state’s attorney, has emphasized her administration’s investment in communities she says “have been left behind.”

Jawando is a civil rights lawyer and author of a 2022 memoir, “My Seven Black Fathers,” chronicling his experiences with systemic racism and lessons learned from mentors.

Also running are peace activist Jerome Segal, 79, and anti-tax candidate Robin Ficker, 80, both of Montgomery County.

The term of Cardin, 79, ends in January 2025. The filing deadline is Feb. 9, 2024, for the May 14 primary.