Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), a staunch critic of former President Donald Trump who recently announced he would not seek reelection to Congress, has not ruled out launching a long-shot campaign for the White House in 2024.
In a Thursday interview with CNN, Kinzinger said he is considering potential bids for the U.S. Senate in Illinois or the governor’s mansion. The anti-MAGA lawmaker added that he “definitely” isn’t ruling out a 2024 campaign for the highest office in the land.
“The key is, how do we restore the honor of the party in the country?” he asked.
Kinzinger was one of 10 House Republican members who voted to impeach Trump for “incitement of insurrection” after the January 6 Capitol riot. At the time, the Illinois Republican accused the former president of inciting the riot, explaining, “[I]f these actions — the Article II branch inciting a deadly insurrection against the Article I branch — are not worthy of impeachment, then what is an impeachable offense?”
Some Illinois lawmakers, though in agreement with Kinzinger’s anti-Trump stance, are deeply skeptical about his prospects to win either a Senate or gubernatorial bid.
“It would be very hard. If you’re a Republican here in our state, it’s not easy unless you embrace Trump. So that’s question number one,” Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) told CNN. “And question number two is, do you embrace a lot of the policies that are popular in Illinois?”
Democrats have "rewarded" Republican Adam Kinzinger for his opposition to Trump by redrawing his district map to favor an incumbent Democrat. https://t.co/87mq6sGyyi
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) October 15, 2021
“So I’m not sure what the path is,” the lawmaker added.
Late October, Kinzinger announced he would not seek reelection, saying the “time is now” to move on.
“My disappointment in the leaders that don’t lead is huge,” he stated.
Kinzinger hinted at other political plans, saying, “I cannot focus on both a reelection to Congress and a broader fight nationwide. I want to make it clear — this isn’t the end of my political future, but the beginning.” He also noted that he got married recently and that he and his wife are expecting a baby boy in January.
The announcement came hours after Democrats in Illinois approved new congressional district maps that put Kinzinger in the same district as GOP Rep. Darin LaHood, a strong supporter of Trump’s who said Friday he plans to seek reelection. The former president’s influence remains strong on GOP voters, and Kinzinger’s criticisms of Trump would have been difficult to overcome in a primary for a district drawn to be heavily Republican.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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