That race could ultimately nominate a candidate much more ideological and confrontational than Blunt, 71, who has spent 24 years in the House and the Senate balancing party loyalty as a longtime member of the GOP leadership with considerable skills as an inside operator able to cut high-stakes deals with Democrats on must-pass bills.
Blunt found his cordial, transactional style increasingly out of step with the mood of his party’s base — especially following the election of President Donald Trump, whom Blunt sometimes gently criticized, particularly on matters of foreign policy. But he gave little indication that he was seriously considering retirement as he voted consistently in line with Trump — at least until Jan. 6, when he broke from scores of congressional Republicans, and Missouri’s junior Republican senator, Josh Hawley, to reject challenges to Trump’s November loss.
His decision now creates immediate headaches for Republican political strategists, who face a fifth open seat in next year’s election, another intraparty contest that could complicate the GOP’s quest to retake the majority.
Sens. Richard Burr (N.C.), Rob Portman (Ohio), Richard C. Shelby (Ala.) and Patrick J. Toomey (Pa.) already have said they will not seek reelection. Sens. Charles E. Grassley (Iowa) and Ron Johnson (Wis.) have yet to announce their intentions.
For the past six years, Blunt has managed one of the largest and most sensitive portfolios on the Senate Appropriations Committee — overseeing hundreds of billions of dollars in yearly health-care and labor spending that routinely becomes the focus of pitched policy battles over abortion and other issues.
He also serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee, whose work is among the most bipartisan on Capitol Hill, and recently presided over the congressional committee that organized President Biden’s inauguration.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday called Blunt’s decision “a loss for the Republican conference and the entire Senate.”
“In just 10 years in this body, he’s quickly become a true leader, a policy heavyweight, and a driving force behind both key conservative victories and essential bipartisan work,” McConnell said in a statement. “I’m very sorry he’ll be stepping away but am glad the country has two more years to keep benefiting from his talent.”
In a two-minute video announcing the surprise decision Monday, Blunt cited his “practical sense of getting the job done” in looking back on his congressional service, highlighting his role in funding medical research and improving mental health care.
“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,” he said, adding: “There’s 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.”
Sen. Rick Scott (Fla.), the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, cited Trump’s 15-point margin of victory in Missouri last year in guaranteeing that Republicans would retain the seat.
“Any candidate who supports the Democrats’ socialist, big government agenda will struggle to find votes in Missouri,” he said in a statement that glossed over some of the complications that might ensue.
Over the past two decades, Missouri has transformed from a perennial swing state into solid Republican territory as White, working-class voters have moved sharply away from the Democratic Party. But GOP strategists fear that a divisive Republican nominee could run into trouble against a talented Democrat — with much of the anxiety surrounding a potential comeback attempt by former governor Eric Greitens, who had previously floated a possible primary challenge to Blunt.
Greitens, a former Navy SEAL, resigned in 2018 under the threat of impeachment after he was criminally charged in connection with an alleged blackmail scheme that targeted a woman with whom he had an extramarital affair. Greitens admitted the affair but denied committing blackmail and other allegations of abuse. The charges were dropped. Last year, he accused his political enemies of fabricating the scheme to drive him from office.
Any number of other Missouri Republicans, however, could enter the race. GOP strategists involved in the state think that Attorney General Eric Schmitt, Secretary of State John R. “Jay” Ashcroft, Lieutenant Gov. Mike Kehoe, Reps. Jason T. Smith and Ann Wagner, and Tim Garrison, a former U.S. attorney, could all mount credible runs, among others.
They are also buoyed by early decisions by two of the best-known Democrats in the state to pass on 2022 runs. Former senator Claire McCaskill, who lost her seat to Hawley in 2018, tweeted Monday that she “will never run for office again.”
“Nope. Not gonna happen. Never,” she wrote.
And Jason Kander, a former Missouri secretary of state who came within three points of beating Blunt in 2016, said in a tweet that his previously announced decision not to run stood in light of Blunt’s decision.
“My decision not to run was never about who I’d run against,” said Kander, who now heads a nonprofit organization for veterans. “Love this work, don’t want a new job. I’ll campaign for the Dem nominee!”
One Democrat who already has entered the race, state Sen. Scott Sifton, welcomed Blunt’s announcement Monday.
“Missourians have an opportunity to vote for better leadership than they’ve been getting from our two Senators,” said Sifton, who represents a suburban St. Louis district. “We cannot double down on the dangerous Josh Hawley approach of undermining democracy and dividing Missourians.”
Sean Sullivan contributed to this report.
