GOP Trump Critic Kinzinger Won't Run for Reelection

Illinois congressman says he's not done with politics, however
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 29, 2021 9:56 AM CDT
GOP Trump Critic Kinzinger Won't Run for Reelection
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., won't run for re-election.   (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades, File)

One of the GOP's most vocal critics of former President Trump will not run for reelection in the House next year. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois announced his decision in a video Friday morning, reports CNN. "I also remember during [my 2009] campaign saying that if I ever thought it was time to move on from Congress, I would, and that time is now," Kinzinger said. He did not offer details on what he would do after his 12-year House career ends, but he declared: "This isn't the end of my political future, but the beginning." He said the US is in the midst of a "perilous" time and suggested he would look for a more national political role. Kinzinger is one of only two Republicans (the other is Liz Cheney) who serve on a House panel investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, notes Axios.

Kinzinger was one of only 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, and he's now the second from the group to announce he's leaving the House. The other is Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, and Axios notes that Kinzinger criticized his fellow Republicans for their silence when Gonzalez made his announcement in September. "If you think Trump runs our party, you own his comments, or you must denounce them," he said at the time. "If you think he doesn't lead our party, you must publicly say that. The time for hiding is over, the stakes are too high."

Politico notes that on Friday morning, the state legislature in Illinois added a wrinkle to all this by redrawing the state's congressional map to put Kinzinger's district into the same one as that of GOP Rep. Darin LaHood. That means Kinzinger would have faced a primary contest against LaHood, described by the outlet as "a more reliable Trump ally." (Kinzinger took flak from his own family for his anti-Trump positions.)

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