Thomas Richard Carper (born January 23, 1947) is a United States politician who has been a U.S. Senator from Delaware since 2001. A Democrat, Tom Carper served in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1993 before becoming Governor of Delaware in 1993. He served as Governor until 2001. He was elected to the Senate in 2000, defeating a senior Republican, William Roth. The race was expected to be close, but due to Carper's proven record as governor, the strong performance of Presidential nominee Al Gore, and concerns about Roth's age, Carper won the race handily.

In December 2004 Carper was appointed as one of four deputy whips for Senate Democrats.

Senator Carper announced in February 2005 that he is open to President Bush's plans for Social Security overhaul through private accounts.

External links

• Official Senate website