Longtime Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) is singing his swan song via tweet. After over a decade on the job, the Missouri senator is leaving office. He did not give any reason for leaving, which was odd.
Blunt is not alone. A striking number of moderates to what was once considered conservatives have abandoned their jobs. Just this past year, Pat Roberts (R-KS), Mike Enzi (R-WY), and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) left. With a boost from Donald Trump, the party has moved from a bipartisan working party to a divided one of “no.”
Trump promised to run one of his candidates during the primaries against anyone who did not kiss his ring. One glaring example is daughter of former Vice President Dick Chaney, Representative Liz Chaney. Already, pundits see her voters turning right into the Trump Party, formerly known as the Grand Old Party (GOP).
Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has been responsible for the downfall of his party, too. He refused to let President Barack Obama install a Supreme Court Justice, which was his right. McConnell has appropriately called himself the “Grim Reaper” of the Senate. He has stood at the door of his chamber and killed off any House of Representatives bill that tried to make it through.
With Trump appealing to American’s darkest side and McConnell putting a stick in the gears that run the Senate, Republicans are left with a party they do not recognize.
Blunt is a high-ranking member of the Senate, and according to his Senate page:
‘[He is] Chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee and as the Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee. He also serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee; the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He is also the Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.’
Blunt did not give a reason for leaving in his video:
‘Thank you, Missourians, for the opportunity to work for you and a better future for our state and our country. pic.twitter.com/1GjX74zhZB — Senator Roy Blunt (@RoyBlunt) March 8, 2021’
Thank you, Missourians, for the opportunity to work for you and a better future for our state and our country. pic.twitter.com/1GjX74zhZB
— Senator Roy Blunt (@RoyBlunt) March 8, 2021
In his tweet, Blunt also said:
‘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, 71, added, according to CNBC:
‘In every job Missourians have allowed me to have, I’ve tried to do my best. In almost 12,000 votes in the Congress, I’m sure I wasn’t right every time, but you really make that decision based on the information you have at the time. There is still a lot to do, and I look forward to every day this year and next year as I continue to work for you in the Senate. Another lesson I learned here: Finish strong. And I intend to.’
There were 26 Republican members of the House and 1 Libertarian member of the U.S. House who just retired.
The Ballotpedia noted the number of incumbents of the 116 U.S. Congress who did not run for re-election. Four Republican U.S. senators and 36 U.S. representatives did not run for re-election:
‘Of those 40 open seats, five changed party hands in the 2020 elections, with Democrats picking up three U.S. House seats and Republicans picking up two U.S. House seats.’
GOP analysts believe Blunt’s seat will remain Republican in Missouri, a blue state turned bright red.
Twitter world went nuts when they saw this longtime senator giving up. Take a look at some of our favorite responses below:
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