Mr. Blunt, a fixture of Republican leadership in Congress who had been known for his ability to work with both parties, said he would not seek re-election in 2022.
Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri, the No.4 Republican, announced on Monday that he would not seek re-election in 2022, the latest in a string of veteran Republicans who have opted to exit Congress as their party remakes itself in the mold of former President Donald J. Trump. Mr. Blunt, a fixture of the Republican establishment, had told reporters in January that he was planning to run for a third term and had taken steps to avoid alienating the former president. But with his surprise announcement on Monday, Mr. Blunt joined a growing group of institutionalists who have chosen to leave rather than subject themselves to potentially bruising party primaries that promise to be contests of which candidate can tie himself more closely to Mr. Trump. “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 re-election to the United States Senate next year,” Mr. Blunt,71, said in a two-minute video posted on social media. Speaking outside his family’s dairy barn, Mr. Blunt did not expound on his decision, but said he had always been motivated by a “practical sense of getting the job done.” He did not respond to an interview request. Republicans are confident they can hold his seat in a state that has swung hard to the right over the last decade, but Mr. Blunt’s departure adds to a brain drain already underway among Senate Republicans. A bipartisan deal maker and stalwart of Washington social circles known for well-tailored suits and disarming charm, he is the rare figure who has served in high-ranking posts in both House and Senate leadership over a 24-year congressional career. Mr. Blunt was also in charge of planning President Biden’s inauguration in January, a delicate task that required him to navigate explosive political crosscurrents and the threat of violence after the Jan.6 mob attack on the Capitol. His decision not to seek another term follows similar ones by Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, one of Republicans’ leading policy minds and a seeker of bipartisan compromises; Senator Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, a deal-making former chairman of the Appropriations Committee; and Senator Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania, a top party voice on free-market economics.
