Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill) announced this morning that he will not be seeking reelection, thus ending a 12-year career in the House of Representatives. 

Kinzinger revealed in a video posted to his Twitter page that he will be retiring in January of 2023. In the video, he fondly recalled unseating a Democrat incumbent in his first race back in 2010, saying that he was fueled by supporters who told him to “be my own man and to never ‘do what they tell you to do.'”

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This appeared to be a reference to his attacks on Donald Trump, something that earned him a reputation for being one of the biggest RINOs in Congress. Kinzinger was one of ten Republicans who voted in favor of impeaching Trump earlier this year.

“I stand tall and proud knowing that I have done just that,” Kinzinger said. “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.”

In his video, Kinzinger went on to rant against the rife partisanship in Washington, accusing both parties of seeking to appeal to their most extreme flanks.

“In this day, to prevail or survive, you must belong to a tribe,” he said. “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.”

“Dehumanizing each other has become the norm,” Kinzinger added. “We’ve taken it from social media to the streets. We’ve allowed leaders to reach power selling the false premise that strength comes from degrading others and dehumanizing those that look, act or think differently than we do. As a country, we’ve fallen for those lies, and now we face a poisoned country filled with outrage blinding our ability to reach real strength.”

Kinzinger then expressed his “awe” at his nine Republican colleagues who took an impeachment vote that is already starting to endanger their chances of reelection. He also said that he will continue his work with his PAC Country First, which he started earlier this year to fight against Trump’s stranglehold on the Republican Party.

“I cannot focus on both a reelection to Congress and a broader fight nationwide,” Kinzinger said. “I want to make it clear, this isn’t the end of my political future, but the beginning.”

It is rumored that Kinzinger is considering challenging Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) next year.

This piece was written by James Samson on October 29, 2021. It originally appeared in RedVoiceMedia.com and is used by permission.

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