Adam Kinzinger says he will not run again for Congress in November 2022

EDITOR’S NOTE: A state representative of Florida and Ohio were initially quoted in the story and referenced incorrectly as U.S. reps. They have been removed.

Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who has been a critic of former President Donald Trump, announced Friday morning that he would not seek a seventh term in Congress next year.

The announcement, which came in an almost five-minute video posted to Twitter, was released just hours after Illinois lawmakers approved a new congressional boundary map that will change Kinzinger’s district considerably.

“I want to make this clear, this isn’t the ending of my political future but the beginning,” Kinzinger said.

Trump reacted Friday by saying “two down, eight to go!” in a brief statement through his leadership political action committee, Save America, referencing the 10 House Republicans, including Kinzinger, who voted for his second impeachment.

Kinzinger, an Iraq War veteran and pilot in the Wisconsin Air National Guard, has been at odds with Republican Party leaders at times since after the November election.

The congressman said he will continue to lead the Country First movement he created after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, which promotes “country over party.” Kinzinger sits on a committee charged with investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, joining Republican U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming as the panel’s lone Republicans.

“My disappointment in the leaders that don’t lead is huge,” Kinzinger said in the video.

Kinzinger’s announcement came on the heels of the approval of a new congressional boundary map. The state will have one fewer representative. A new 16th Congressional District would cover much of southern and northern Illinois and put incumbent Republicans Rep. Darin LaHood and Kinzinger into the same district. LaHood, who was elected to his third full term in office last November, announced Friday morning that he is running for reelection. Kinzinger figured to receive a primary challenge in whatever district he ended up. He had drawn six GOP challengers before the redistricting.

Kinzinger also was censured by at least three counties’ Republican groups within his district: La Salle, Will and Iroquois. Grundy County voted not to censure him.

In sharing what led to his decision, Kinzinger said the country is in a perilous time.

“It has become increasingly obvious to me that as a country we must unplug from the mistruths we’ve been fed,” Kinzinger said. “In Congress, I’ve witnessed how division is heavily rooted. There is little to no desire to bridge our differences, and unity is no longer a word we use. It has also become increasingly obvious to me that in order to break the narrative, I cannot focus on both a reelection to Congress and a broader fight nationwide.”

U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, a Chicago Democrat, said Kinzinger would be missed in Congress.

“I’ve known Congressman Kinzinger as a bold voice for speaking truth to power who has consistently put the country first, over partisan politics,” Quigley tweeted.

David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, tweeted his appreciation for Kinzinger.

“I disagree with [Kinzinger] on many issues, but I appreciate his service and respect and admire him for standing up to Trump’s trespasses against democracy when so many others have cowered,” Axelrod wrote.

The Republican Accountability Project reacted to the news, referring to Kinzinger as “a rare profile in courage in the Republican Party.”

“His decision is a glaring indicator of how the Republican Party has been overrun by extremists,” the group said in a statement. “It is a party where liars and conspiracy theorists are rewarded while principled public servants like Kinzinger and his nine Republican colleagues are punished.”

Kinzinger was first elected to Congress in 2010. When his district was redrawn to merge with the 16th District, he defeated incumbent Don Manzullo in the 2012 primary and has won in every election since. He garnered 64.7% of the district’s vote in his 2020 victory against Democratic challenger Dani Brzozowski.

“At that time I was spurred to run by my conviction of our role in the world,” Kinzinger said of his 2012 win. “I also remember during that campaign saying that if I ever thought it was time to move on from Congress I would. And that time is now. But let me be clear, my passion for this country has only grown.”

As of Sept. 30, Kinzinger’s reelection campaign had almost $3.4 million cash on hand, according to records filed online with the Federal Election Commission. That included more than $1.8 million in campaign contributions raised between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, according to the FEC.

Although not saying specifically what he will do next – Kinzinger’s name has been speculated as a possibility in other political posts – he spoke firmly about being committed to his Country First PAC. The PAC was created to steer the GOP away from the politics of Trump.

“At this moment government is the problem, and few have risen to do anything about it,” Kinzinger said. “Because in this day, to prevail or survive you must belong to a tribe. Our political parties only survive by appealing to the most motivated and the most extreme elements within it. And the price tag to power has skyrocketed. And fear and distrust has served as an effective strategy to meet that cost.”

More reaction to Kinzinger’s announcement: