Adam Kinzinger will not seek reelection — but says his political career is just getting started

Republican Adam Kinzinger will not seek election to the House of Representatives for the seventh time, but he says his political career is only beginning.

The 43-year-old congressman from Illinois announced in a nearly five-minute video on Twitter Friday that he will be better able to help the “poisoned country” through “an incredibly perilous time” if he doesn’t have to focus on campaigning over the next year.

The Air Force veteran started his monologue, which is accompanied by a generic soundtrack, by reflecting on his 2009 return from Iraq and his successful 2010 House campaign. He said he told himself then, that when he felt it was time to step away from Congress, he would.

“And that time is now,” he said. “But let me be clear, my passion for this country has only grown. My desire to make a difference is bigger than it’s ever been. My disappointment in the leaders that don’t lead is huge.”

Kinzinger established himself as a GOP maverick when he voted to impeach fellow Republican Donald Trump in January, then volunteered to join the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. Only one other Republican, Liz Cheney, sits on that committee.

“In bad moments someone has always arisen to lead — government for, of and by the people always prevails,” Kinzinger said. “At this moment, that government is the problem and few have risen to do anything about it. Because in this day, to prevail or survive, you must belong to a tribe.”

The Illinoisan faulted Democrats and Republicans for pandering to the “most motivated and the most extreme elements” of their parties. He also seemed to target Trump, whom he doesn’t mention by name.

“Dehumanizing each other has become the norm,” Kinzinger said. “We have allowed leaders to reach power selling the false premise that strength comes from degrading others and dehumanizing those who look, act or think differently than we do.”

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FILE - Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., speaks before the House select committee hearing on the Jan. 6 attack on July 27, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Chip Somodevilla/)

Kinzinger lamented that “as a country we’ve fallen for those lies” and that the “poisoned” nation is “filled with outrage blinding our ability to achieve real strength.”

Wearing a dark suit and standing in what appears to be a family room, he said the nation needs to “unplug from the mistruths we’ve been fed” and rediscover a bipartisanship he didn’t see in Washington D.C.

“It has also become increasingly obvious to me that in order to break the narrative, I can not focus on both a reelection to Congress and a broader fight nationwide.” he said.

Even if Kinzinger had stuck around, he would have faced a tough battle to retain his seat. As one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, he’d fallen out of favor with the MAGA wing of the GOP, which holds considerable sway. Trump sent a letter to Politico Friday saying “2 down, 8 to go!”

Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, who also voted to impeach Trump, previously announced he would not seek reelection.

In February, Kinzinger produced a handwritten letter from rabid family members who were angered by his stand against the 45th president. They accused him of disappointing them, God and the anchors at Fox News.

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Kinzinger would have needed every conservative vote he could get. His Illinois congressional district was just redrawn and he would have been pitted against another Republican incumbent had he wanted to stay in Congress. He and his wife have a baby on the way in January.

“I want to make it clear, this isn’t the end of my political future, but the beginning,” he said.

Reactions to Kinzinger’s announcement on Twitter included several followers who claim to be Democrats saying they’d support the congressman if he ran for the senate or the White House. One liberal who voiced support for him was singer Bette Midler.

“What a tragedy,” she tweeted. “A Congressman of integrity and decency is leaving the stage to jackals and hyenas. He will be sorely missed.”

Kinzinger called serving inCongress the “Honor of a lifetime.”