Missouri Senator Blunt Will Not Run for Reelection

Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri says he will not seek a third term in the U.S. Senate.

Blunt, who turned 71 in January, was widely expected to seek a third term in 2022. He made the surprise announcement in a video Monday.

Before election to the Senate he served seven terms in the U.S. House. He also served two terms as Missouri’s secretary of state from 1985 to 1993.

He noted in his announcement that through nearly 12,000 votes in Congress he always sought “to do my best.”

Blunt is the No. 4 in Senate Republican leadership and is the fifth Senate Republican to decide against running for reelection in 2022.