JUST IN: Republican Sen. Roy Blunt Will Not Seek Reelection in 2022

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Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) announced Monday that he will not seek reelection in 2022.

“After 14 general election victories, three to county office, seven to the U.S. House of Representatives and four statewide elections, I won’t be a candidate for reelection for the U.S. Senate next year,” he said in a video posted on Twitter.

Blunt thanked Missourians for giving him the opportunity to work for “a better future for our state and our country,” and acknowledged he may not have been “right every time” he voted in Congress, but made his decisions based on the information he had at the time.

The 71-year-old added, “Another lesson I learned here: finish strong. And I intend to.”

Blunt is the fifth GOP senator to announce he will not run for reelection in 2022, joining Sens. Richard Shelby (R-AL), Rob Portman (R-OH), Richard Burr (R-NC), and Pat Toomey (R-PA) in retirement from the Senate.