Benjamin Louis Cardin (born October 5, 1943) is an American politician serving as the senior United States Senator from Maryland, first elected to that seat in 2006. A Democrat, he previously was a member of the United States House of Representatives for Maryland's 3rd congressional district from 1987 to 2007 and of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1967 to 1987. He served as Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1979 to 1987, the youngest to hold that position in the history of Maryland.
