WASHINGTON – Roy Blunt, Missouri, the 4th Senate Republican, announced on Monday that he would not seek re-election in 2022, the last in a series of party veterans who chose to leave Congress while the Republican Party remade itself along the lines of former President Donald J. Trump.
Blunt, a figure in the Republican establishment, told reporters in January that he planned to run for a third term and took steps to avoid alienating the former president. But with his surprise announcement on Monday, he joined a growing group of institutionalists who chose to leave instead of potentially subjecting themselves to party primaries that promise disputes in which the candidate can get closer to Trump.
“After 14 victories in the general election – three for the county seat, seven for the United States House of Representatives and four state elections – I will not be a candidate for re-election to the United States Senate next year,” said Blunt, 71 , said in a two-minute video posted on social networks.
Speaking later to reporters in Springfield, Missouri, Blunt predicted that he would have won Trump’s endorsement and prevailed if he ran again, but said he did not want to commit to another eight years of campaign and service in Congress.
“I felt good about being elected, but what didn’t feel right was if I wanted to go from 26 years in Congress to 32 years in Congress and maybe eliminate the other things that I might have a chance to do,” he said .
Republicans are confident they can keep their seat in a state that has swung strongly to the right over the past decade. Still, Blunt’s departure contributes to an ongoing brain drain among Senate Republicans.
A bipartisan and brave negotiator from Washington’s social circles, known for well-tailored suits and irresistible charm, he is the rare figure who has held high-ranking positions in the House and Senate leadership. Blunt was also in charge of planning President Biden’s inauguration in January, a delicate task that required him to navigate explosive political cross-currents and the threat of violence following the January 6 crowd attack on Capitol Hill.
His decision not to pursue another term follows others similar to that of Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, one of the Republicans’ main political minds and a search for bipartisan commitments; Senator Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, former chairman of the Appropriations Committee for negotiations; and Sen. Patrick J. Toomey, of Pennsylvania, an important party voice in the free market economy. Republicans are still keeping a close eye on Iowa senator Charles E. Grassley, 87, his oldest member, to see if he will try another term.
Instead, a crop of Trump acolytes emerged that mirrored the ex-president’s combative style, avoided compromises with Democrats and have so far been more willing to resist Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the former Republican leader with whom Blunt was close allied.
“There are two types of politicians in Washington – those who want to make a statement and those who want to make a difference. Senator Blunt has always worked to make a difference, ”said Antonia Ferrier, a longtime former Republican aide who worked for Blunt in the House and later for McConnell. “There is no doubt that his departure, in addition to others like Senators Alexander and Shelby, leaves a void for those who know how to forge bipartisan legislative agreements.”
In a flattering statement, McConnell called Blunt a “political heavyweight” who helped bring legislative victories to Republicans and the Senate as a whole. Among those who are most proud of Blunt are billions of dollars in new funds that he helped secure as appropriators for medical research, including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and mental health. He was also an experienced political tactician, mentioned both as a possible successor to McConnell and a sought-after negotiating partner for the Democrats.
These qualities, once appreciated in the government, gradually became political responsibilities among Republican voters, whose loyalty to Trump and distrust of the official Washington government reshaped the party. Blunt had not formally attracted a major challenger, but his close alliance with McConnell, who openly sought to purge Trump of the party, and his status as a consummate member of Washington put him at risk.
Eric Greitens, a Republican who resigned as governor of Missouri in a cloud of scandal in 2018, said last week that he was “evaluating” whether to challenge Blunt in the primaries. Mr. Greitens, a decorated member of the Navy SEALs, sought to position himself as an heir to Mr. Trump and accused Mr. Blunt of inadequately supporting him.
“It is not enough to have an ‘R’ in the name. We need people willing to take on the system to really fight the swamp, ”Greitens told a radio station in St. Louis.
Blunt criticized Trump only occasionally during his four years in office, taking care not to irritate the former president who helped him secure a narrow victory in 2016.
The Capitol riot proved to be a more difficult path to follow. Subsequently, Blunt broke with the majority of the Missouri Republican delegation and voted to confirm Biden’s victory in the elections after the attack. He called Trump’s actions “clearly unwise” and said January 6 was “a sad and terrible day in the country’s history”. But he vehemently opposed Trump’s impeachment.
Blunt did not exchange a crossword with Trump or Greitens on Monday, but he warned against the upward kind of politics in his party, which focuses not on solving problems for people, but on drawing lines in the sand and causing fights.
“The country, in the last decade or so, has kind of fallen off the edge of many politicians saying, ‘If you vote for me, I will never compromise on anything,'” he told reporters in Springfield. “This is a philosophy that does not particularly work in a democracy.”
Other Republicans considering considering running for office include Jay Ashcroft, Missouri Secretary of State; Eric Schmitt, the attorney general; Jean Evans, a former leader of the state party; Mike Kehoe, the vice governor; Representatives Jason Smith and Ann Wagner; and Carl Edwards, a former NASCAR driver.
With the newfound dominance of Republicans in Missouri, state disputes have been increasingly decided in the Republican primaries. But John Hancock, a former president of the state party, warned that there was always a risk that so many ambitious young Republicans who were running for the nomination would get “divisive primary” backfired.
“There are advantages and disadvantages to having a deep bench,” he said.
Democrats, who have lost nearly all contests for state public office in the past decade, do not have a clear favorite at the moment.
Scott Sifton, a veteran of the Missouri state chamber, has already jumped into the race and assembled a full-fledged campaign team. Democrats in the state suggested that one of its two Democratic members of Congress, Cori Bush of St. Louis and Emanuel Cleaver II of Kansas City, could also run. And Quinton Lucas, the mayor of Kansas City, expressed interest on Monday.