Rep. Adam Kinzinger, the six-term Illinois Republican who has repeatedly criticized his party for embracing Donald Trump’s unfounded claims that the 2020 election was rigged, announced Friday that he would not seek re-election in the 2022 midterms.
In a video, Kinzinger said “My disappointment in the leaders who don’t lead is huge.”
“In this day, to prevail or survive, you must belong to a tribe,” he continued. “We’ve allowed leaders to reach power selling this false premise that strength comes from degrading others and dehumanizing those that look, act, or think differently than we do.”
Kinzinger voted to impeach Trump in January 2021 and is one of two Republicans to sit on the House committee probing the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol.
“I stand in awe at the courage of the other nine members of the House who voted to impeach a president of their own party knowing that it could be detrimental to their political career,” Kinzinger said.
“It has become increasingly obvious to me that as a country, we must unplug from the mistruths we’ve been fed,” he explained.
Kinzinger added “this isn’t the end of my political future, but the beginning.” He’s focused on a “broader fight nationwide.”
Earlier this year, Kinzinger formed a political action committee, Country First, to raise money to support Republican reform candidates.
POLITICO provides important context on Kinzinger’s announcement:
Early Friday morning, Illinois’ state Legislature passed a congressional map that drew Kinzinger into the same district with another GOP incumbent, Rep. Darin LaHood, setting up a would-be primary matchup between Kinzinger and LaHood, a more reliable Trump ally in the House.