Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt announced Monday that he will not run for Senate again in 2022, the latest Republican senator to say that they will not seek reelection.

What You Need To Know

  • Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt announced Monday that he will not run for Senate again in 2022

  • Blunt is the fifth GOP Senator to announce they will not seek reelection in 2022, following fellow Republicans Richard Burr (R-NC), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Richard Shelby (R-AL) 

  • There will likely be a number of Republicans vying for Blunt's seat, including former Gov. Eric Greitens

  • Two notable Democrats poured water on possible 2022 runs – former Sen. Claire McCaskill, who lost to Sen. Josh Hawley in 2018, and Jason Kander, who challenged Blunt in 2016

"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 said.

In a video message, Sen. Blunt thanked the people of Missouri "for the opportunity to work for you and a better future for our state and our country."

"In every job Missourians have allowed me to have, I’ve tried to do my best," he said. "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."

Blunt is the fifth GOP Senator to announce they will not seek reelection in 2022, following fellow Republicans Richard Burr (R-NC), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Richard Shelby (R-AL).

Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) have not announced whether they'll run again in 2022.

Blunt has served in the Senate since 2011; prior to that, he represented Missouri in the House for 14 years, serving as Republican Whip from 2003 to 2009, and acting Majority Leader after Rep. Tom DeLay, then the leader, was indicted on felony charges and temporarily resigned from the role.

There will likely be a number of Republicans vying for Blunt's seat, including former Gov. Eric Greitens, who resigned in 2018 amid a sex scandal and ethics investigations, who said last week before Blunt's announcement he was "evaluating" a run. 

Two notable Democrats poured water on possible 2022 runs – former Sen. Claire McCaskill, who lost to Sen. Josh Hawley in 2018, and Jason Kander, who challenged Blunt in 2016.

Kander said it was "always niced to be asked," but said he isn't looking for anything beyond his current role as president of the Veterans Community Project, which helps provide housing for veterans.

"Love this work, don’t want a new job," Kander wrote on Twitter. "I’ll campaign for the Dem nominee!

McCaskill, who currently serves as an analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, said that she "will never run for office again."

"Nope. Not gonna happen. Never," she wrote on Twitter. "I am so happy I feel guilty sometimes."