UPDATE: 11:27 a.m.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger, one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach then-President Donald Trump on a charge of inciting the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, on Friday said he would not seek re-election in 2022.
The Illinois congressman, who also bucked party leadership by joining a House of Representatives panel investigating the Capitol riot, lamented national divisions in announcing his exit.
I’m proud to have served #Illinois for six terms and look forward to what’s next. I’ll continue to fight for truth and transparency, for principled leadership and proven solutions, for hope and opportunity.
Thank you for this great honor, #IL16. Here’s to the next chapter! pic.twitter.com/vZu8NFET5e
— Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) October 29, 2021
“I cannot focus on both a re-election to Congress and a broader fight nationwide,” Kinzinger, 43, said in a video posted on Twitter. He is in his sixth two-year term representing a district just outside Chicago.
Kinzinger was the second of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump to choose not to seek re-election in the 2022 contests that will determine control of Congress. Democrats hold slim majorities in both the House and Senate.
Trump, the first president in history to be impeached twice, was narrowly acquitted by the Senate, and has lambasted Kinzinger and other Republicans who have criticized him for his false claims that he lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden due to voter fraud.
In September, Representative Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, another Republican who voted to impeach Trump, dropped out of his re-election race, citing “the toxic dynamics inside our own party.”
Another one of the 10, Representative Liz Cheney, was ousted from her House Republican leadership post after repeatedly criticizing Trump’s claims. Once considered a rising star in the party, she faces a tough re-election battle in her home state of Wyoming.
Kinzinger, who has also been one of Trump’s fiercest critics in the Republican Party, was less pointed in the video announcing his exit.
“My disappointment in the leaders that don’t lead is huge,” he said. “We must unplug from the mistruths we’ve been fed.”
(Corrects to reflect that Kinzinger is the second, not the third, Republican impeachment voter to not seek re-election; Steve Stivers did not vote for impeachment)
(Reporting by Jason Lange; editing by Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis)
UPDATE: 10:23 a.m.
Peoria, Ill — Just moments following news of Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger’s decision to decline another term in Congress, fellow Republican Rep. Darin LaHood launched his own re-election bid.
Kinzinger was likely to be LaHood’s best known competition in the newly drawn Illinois 16th Congressional District.
Illinois State lawmakers approved redrawn Congressional district maps late Thursday. The legislation still awaits Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature, although he’s virtually assured to sign the bill.
In his announcement, LaHood says, “I am confident the opportunity exists for me to continue my service in Congress and I am announcing my intent to run for re-election in 2022.”
LaHood was first elected in to serve the 18th District of Illinois in 2015, and was re-elected in 2016, 2018, and 2020.
He was endorsed by President Trump in 2020 and won that year with over 70% of the vote.
Prior to serving in Congress, LaHood represented north-central Illinois in the Illinois State Senate’s 37th District.
During his time in Congress and in the State Senate, LaHood has represented over 50% of the counties in the newly drawn 16th District.
The 16th retains LaHood’s home base of Peoria and Bloomington-Normal and then moves north and west from Rockford to Galena on the Illinois state line.
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UPDATE: 10:15 a.m.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger, one of the few Republican lawmakers who voted to impeach then-President Donald Trump, on Friday said he would not seek re-election in 2022.
The Illinois congressman, who also bucked party leadership by joining a House of Representatives panel investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot, lamented national divisions in announcing his exit.
“I cannot focus on both a re-election to Congress and a broader fight nationwide,” Kinzinger said in a video posted on Twitter.
Kinzinger was the latest Republican lawmaker to decide not to seek re-election after 10 House Republicans joined Democrats in voting to impeach the Republican president for inciting supports in the deadly Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol. Trump, the first president in history to be impeached twice, was subsequently acquitted by the U.S. Senate.
(Reporting by Jason Lange)
ORIGINAL STORY:
Peoria, Ill — Illinois Republican Congressman and a noted critic of former President Trump, Adam Kinzinger, will not seek a second term.
Details about the decision are developing now.
We’ve seen Kinzinger, just moments ago, speaking with reporters on Capitol Hill.
Kinzinger was one of the more outspoken critics of former President Donald Trump, even voting to impeach him at one point.
Tune into 1470 AM & 100.3 FM for the very latest on this developing story.
Also, download our app at the Google and iPhone app stores to listen live anywhere, or just tell your smart speaker to play 1470 and 100.3 WMBD.
