Anti-Trump GOP Rep Announces He's Leaving Congress
Fierce Donald Trump critic and Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger announced Friday he will not seek re-election to the House of Representatives in 2022.
Kinzinger served as one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach then-President Donald Trump following the events of Jan. 6. He has also served as a member of Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s House select committee on Jan. 6.
The Illinois congressman posted a video to Twitter on Friday to make the announcement.
Looking forward to the next chapter! pic.twitter.com/SvdFCVtrlE
— Adam Kinzinger (@AdamKinzinger) October 29, 2021
“In 2009, I returned from Iraq and made a decision that ran in the face of all odds and sanity. I would challenge an incumbent in a seemingly unwinnable race for Congress,” Kinzinger said in the video.
After providing a brief summary of his congressional run, Kinzinger shared his concern regarding leadership in today’s political “battlefield.”
“The battlefield must be broader and the truth needs to reach the American people across the whole country,” he said.
The video also took a swipe at Trump.
“I stand in awe at the courage of the other nine members in the House who voted to impeach a president of their own party, knowing it could be detrimental to their political career,” Kinzinger said.
The announcement came after news Friday morning that the Illinois Legislature had passed its new congressional map. Kinzinger would face Republican Rep. Darin LaHood in the 2022 Illinois Republican primary as a result.
LaHood has remained a loyal Trump ally and conservative, making Kinzinger’s chances of winning in the conservative-leaning district unlikely.
Kinzinger is now the second House Republican who voted to impeach Trump to announce retirement from Congress. Ohio Republican Rep. Anthony Gonzalez had previously shared his plans to leave the House following his current term.
The Illinois congressman is also one of just two Republicans on Pelosi’s House select committee to investigate the Capitol Building incursion in January. Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, also a Trump critic who voted to impeach the former president, serves as the other.
Kinzinger’s video was branded by Country1st.com, the website of his newly formed political action committee called Country First.
The congressman formed the PAC this year, calling it “a home for reasonable people of goodwill, seeking common ground to make our country better for future generations.”
Standing for truth can mean facing danger. This week, Congressman @AdamKinzinger sits down with Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn @LibraDunn, who shares his experience defending the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. Listen & download on your favorite platform! https://t.co/Lr0Uc1EgtK pic.twitter.com/V9sbs3Bqd3
— COUNTRY FIRST (@COUNTRY_F1RST) October 26, 2021
The PAC has endorsed the nine other Republicans who voted to impeach Trump. It has also endorsed Michael Wood, a Republican who lost in a run in a special election to replace Texas Republican Rep. Ron Wright who died in February from COVID-19.
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