Jewish Senator from Maryland Clinches Endorsements

Ben Cardin, the Jewish senator from Maryland, picked up the endorsement of The Baltimore Sun, and polling shows the junior senator is poised to glide into a second term.

Cardin, an active member Beth Tfiloh in Baltimore, which describes itself as America’s largest modern Orthodox synagogue, was a longtime Congressman before his 2006 Senate bid and was ranked the third most liberal Democrat in the Senate, according to the National Journal.

“U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin is not slick,” The Sun’s October 31 endorsement declared. “You won’t find him on the Sunday morning network talk shows very often. He isn’t a partisan quote-machine. He doesn’t give an especially stirring stump speech.

“But what Mr. Cardin does have is more valuable than that. He is a man of substance and integrity who understands complicated issues and the art of compromise. More than ever, the U.S. Senate needs such leaders, and that’s why we proudly endorse him for a second term.”

Cardin also picked up the endorsement of the Washington Post, which 10 days ago wrote that he is a “solid, substantive and serious lawmaker whose proven ability to cross partisan battle lines places him among the dwindling ranks of grown-ups in Congress.” The editorial also said he was instrumental “in crafting legislation to promote job training, small business, health care and the Chesapeake Bay’s cleanup.”

Earlier this week, Cardin reached out to supporters in an open letter, asking them to remove lawn signs declaring their support for him to minimize damage from Hurricane Sandy.

“Early voting has been cancelled for Monday, October 29, 2012,” he wrote.  “This election is extremely important to our country, but your personal safety should not be at risk during this severe storm.”

Cardin, one of 13 Jews serving in the US Senate, is a member of the committees on finance, budget, and foreign relations, among others.