Today’s news that Senator Richard Shelby will not seek re-election marks the fourth retirement of the cycle for a struggling Republican minority that is failing to persuade one incumbent after another to run for re-election in 2022. Republicans are certain to face another nasty and messy primary to replace Shelby, as Alabama now joins North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania on the list of GOP-held open Senate seats on the ballot next year.
“With the number of GOP retirements piling up, it’s clear that more and more Republicans in the Senate are realizing they have no reason to run for another term,” said DSCC spokesperson Stewart Boss. “Having just lost their majority and facing the bleak prospect of losing more seats in 2022, these incumbents are showing just how pessimistic they are about the direction of their party and the fact that their caucus under Mitch McConnell has no real plans for the country beyond trying to obstruct progress and block relief for the American people.”
With Shelby’s decision to retire, new NRSC Chair Rick Scott has once again failed one of his self-proclaimed goals of “trying to convince all the GOP incumbents who are up for reelection in 2022 to run again.”
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