Kinzinger Slams Dems for Wanting GOP Partners to Tell Truth Then Targeting Him in Redistricting
U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger criticized Democrats for encouraging Republicans to tell the truth but then targeting him in redistricting.
Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois, explained his decision to not seek re-election while appearing on ABC News' This Week Sunday morning. He said one reason he opted to retire is that he has not seen other Republicans "move away from lies," amid baseless claims of fraud in the 2020 election by former President Donald Trump and his GOP allies.
"Republicans will probably be in the majority. I'm going to be fighting even harder some of these things," Kinzinger said. "It's been obvious over the last 10 months that nobody, I haven't seen any momentum in the party move away from lies and toward truth."
He also called out Democrats for drawing him into a district with another GOP incumbent. His district is currently largely based in Chicago exurbs, but Democrats, who control redistricting in Illinois, are carving out its more liberal areas to shore up their own vulnerable incumbents.
Under the new map—which has passed both chambers of the state legislature but is yet to be signed by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker—Kinzinger was drawn into the same district as fellow GOP Congressman Darin LaHood.
Because Illinois' population grew at a slower rate than other states, it lost one seat in Congress. The states' current delegation includes 13 Democrats and five Republicans. The new map, if signed, would likely send 14 Democrats and three Republicans to Congress.
Kinzinger—an outspoken critic of Trump who remains popular among many Republicans—could have faced an uphill battle against conservatives in a Republican primary, although the new district would be safely Republican in a general election.
He said that he understands that redistricting is being used "everywhere" by both parties to strengthen their grip on Congress ahead of the 2022 midterms. But he still questioned why Democrats drew him into a more difficult district while accusing them of "specifically" targeting him.
"When Democrats do say they want Republican partners to tell the truth, and then they specifically target me, it makes you wonder," he said.
In a statement earlier in October, Kinzinger slammed the state's redistricting process as "anything but transparent."
Kinzinger, one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, said that he would not seek re-election on Friday.
"We've allowed leaders to reach power selling the false premise that strength comes from degrading others and dehumanizing those who look, act or think differently than we do," he said in his announcement. "As a country, we've fallen for those lies and now we face a poisoned country filled with outrage blinding our ability to achieve real strength."
Newsweek reached out to Kinzinger's office for comment Sunday morning but had not heard back by publication. This story will be updated with any response.
