Senator Roy Blunt gives press conference on not running for reelection in 2022
On March 8, Sen. Roy Blunt announced in a Twitter video he would not be pursuing reelection for the U.S. Senate in 2022. To follow, he gave a press conference at the Springfield-Branson National Airport.
“After 14 General Election victories — three to county office, seven to the United States House of Representatives and four statewide elections — I won’t be a candidate for reelection to the United States Senate next year,” Blunt said in the video.
In the press conference, Blunt said this is not the end of his political career. He is grateful for the next 20 months and has high hopes for what he can do. He said his main focus will be on health care.
“I think this will be a particularly good election year for Republicans,” Blunt said during the March 8 press conference. “I think it would have been a great year for me. I had no lack of confidence: My lack of confidence was if I should spend 26 years in Congress or 32 years. If I do 32 years, I may miss out on other things I can do.”
When asked if Blunt would support Eric Greitens, former governor of Missouri, in a potential bid for the Senate despite the negative comments he has made about Blunt, he did not answer.
“Anyone will say negative things about me; it will sort itself out,” Blunt said. “I am confident the Republican nominee will win.”
Regardless of who will be elected, Blunt has advice for them.
“The advice I would give today is don’t spend a lot of time talking about the things you will never do,” Blunt said. “The things that you think you may never do may be your best option someday. The philosophy that you will never compromise with the other side does not work in a democracy.”
Blunt would not call this a retirement. Instead, he said he “would call it ending my career in elected politics.”
He said he does not know what the future holds. He said he is currently more concerned with finishing out his last 20 months strong. The next United States elections are Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.
For more information about Blunt, visit his website at https://www.blunt.senate.gov