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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Republican Missouri Senator Roy Blunt has announced he will not run for reelection in 2022.

“After 14 General Election victories — three to county office, seven to the U.S. House of Representatives, and four statewide elections — I won’t be a candidate for reelection to the United States Senate next year,” Blunt announced in a video Monday.

The 71-year-old who was born in Niangua, Missouri, has served Missouri in politics for decades and was elected to the Senate in 2010. Blunt said he would continue to work hard and “finish strong” in the rest of his term this year and next.

“I think it’s a good thing for me. I think it’s a good thing for Congress. I think it’s a good thing for what happens for future representation for a state in the Senate,” he said.

Blunt said he’s proud of many accomplishments throughout his years in Congress, including billions in increased funding in to fight the opioid epidemic. Another accomplishment Blunt saod he’s proud of is improving Missouri’s Infrastructure.

The Republican senator made headlines as he played a middle-ground role in former President Donald Trump’s final days in office regarding controversies over voting integrity and the Capitol riot.

While Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., fueled distrust and cast doubt over the General Election results, Blunt urged confidence in the voting system. He said Americans can have confidence that elections are secure and that President Biden won fair and square.

However, he later disagreed that Trump should be impeached for inciting an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Blunt didn’t endorse Trump’s actions, saying he should ‘be careful’ in his final days in office. Yet, he advocated for moving on to the transition of power over holding impeachment hearings.

News of Blunt leaving office is a hit to the Republican Part, which is looking to reclaim majority of the Senate after the most recent election. Blunt is the 5th Republican Senator to announce they are stepping down from the role.

However, Blunt said he wouldn’t call this a retirement.

“I look forward to the next two years of that, and whatever comes after that will be something I’m looking forward to, though I have no idea what that may be,” he said.

When asked who he would like to see as a successor, Blunt said, “It’s up to the voters to decide.”