Adam Kinzinger Will Not Make Reelection Bid
Image Courtesy of Yahoo News
By Chris Carey
On January 6, Adam Kinzinger was ready to spring into action, gun in hand and pin denoting membership in Congress on his lapel. Now, he has announced he will not seek reelection and will end his 12-year run representing Illinois in the House of Representatives.
Representative Kinzinger has recently come to prominence over his sustained defense of traditional conservative values while not bowing to the “Big Lie.” One of 10 Republican members of Congress who voted to impeach former President Trump after his role in stirring the insurrection on January 6, Kinzinger has remained a staunch opponent of those promulgating election conspiracy theories and supporting the return of Donald Trump.
His outlook on the long-term efficacy of this rhetoric is bleak.
“I think in the short term, there will be no price they will have to pay. I think in the short term, stoking division, using fear and darkness, will win the midterms in 2022. In the long term, this will destroy the GOP,” said Kinzinger in an interview with Rolling Stone.
He was not quick to defend the Democrats either. Kinzinger noted that the Democrats redrawing the maps in Illinois largely contributed to his decision not to run for reelection, and while he feels the Democrats stress on one hand the importance of Republican Members like himself, he recognizes that many do not understand the true gravity of the threats facing democracy that Kinzinger has vowed to fight against.
“I blame Democrats for drawing that map,” Kinzinger said. “And I think that what it says to people is that you want Republican allies in the defense of democracy until it’s politically advantageous to not. To me, that means they don’t understand how real the threat to democracy is.”
As far as soon-to-be-former Representative Kinzinger’s future priorities are concerned, he has made it ultimately clear that a bid for higher office is not out of the question. When asked about his future plans, he obfuscated from any decisive answer but mentioned he believes it time to move on from Congress while stating he would not rule out a run for President.
With 2022 elections fast approaching and both Illinois’ Democratic senator and governor up for reelection, many wonder if Kinzinger plans to make a bid for the upper house or the governor’s mansion. Additionally, there is some speculation that with only two full years to go until candidates emerge in the Republican Presidential Primary, Kinzinger has a perfect gap in time to begin national speaking tours, write a book, or begin to engage nationally in a way that could further his chances for the nomination of his very fractured party. While those on the far right such as Marjorie Taylor Greene call Kinzinger a traitor to the party, he believes his time in the national political realm has not come to an end. “I want to make clear: This isn’t the end of my political future, but the beginning.”
