WASHINGTON — Rep. Adam Kinzinger, the Illinois Republican who has made a crusade against Trumpism and is one of two GOP House members on the Jan. 6 investigation committee, announced Friday he will not seek another term.
“I want to make it clear. This isn’t the end of my political future, but the beginning,” Kinzinger said in a video released Friday titled “The Next Chapter.”
Instead, he will use his national platform to try to reclaim the Republican Party, now under the iron grip of former President Donald Trump and his lies, conspiracy theories and attacks on political norms.
Kinzinger was one of 10 Republicans voting to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. After Kinzinger’s announcement, Trump said in an email statement, “2 down, 8 to go!” That’s a reference to GOP Ohio Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, who was among the 10 and who is also not going to run again in 2022.
Kinzinger, of Channahon, who is in his sixth term, made the decision hours after the Illinois General Assembly passed and sent a congressional remap to Gov. J.B. Pritzker to sign that would have thrown him in a district with another Republican, Rep. Darin LaHood of Peoria.
Kinzinger said in a video that he will continue his crusade against “fear and distrust” launched earlier this year under his “Country First” banner. “My desire to make a difference is bigger than it’s ever been,” Kinzinger said in the video. “My disappointment in the leaders who don’t lead is huge.”
In a “Country First” email Kinzinger sent Friday, he said, the reason he will not seek another term is “simple: Leading a movement to save the Republic is more important to me than winning a seat or title for myself. And let’s be honest, the real progress and renewal that we’re hungry for isn’t going to come from politics as usual.
“Instead, it has to come from the outside, from you and me. No one is coming to our rescue. We must be the heroes of this story; we are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”
Kinzinger said in the video, “America is facing an incredibly perilous time. I have always been optimistic, looking to our history to show how we would overcome any obstacle. In bad moments, someone has always stepped up to lead. Government for, of, and by the people always prevails. Right now, that government is the problem. And few have risen to do anything about it, because in this day to prevail or survive you must belong to a tribe.
“I’ve witnessed how division is so heavily rooted in this country. There’s little to no desire to bridge our differences, and unity is no longer a word we use. It has also become increasingly obvious that in order to break the narrative, I cannot focus on both a reelection to Congress and a broader fight nationwide.
“As a country, we need to remember who we really are, what we’ve achieved in our darker days and why we’ve always fought for a brighter future. I know I’m not alone — there are many Americans desperately searching for a better way. They want solutions, not more problems. They want action, not extremism. They want light, not darkness. And the sooner we do it, the better it will be for the land that we love. Now is the time to put Country First.”
Kinzinger had said he might run for governor or senator in 2022 if the remap dissolved his district, which it did. As a leading national opponent to Trump and Trumpism, Kinzinger would have a hard time winning a GOP statewide Illinois primary. Spokesperson Maura Gillespie said he is “reviewing all options.”
