Darin LaHood, left, will seek reelection to Congress in the newly redrawn 16th District, while fellow Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger will not. (PHOTOS COURTESY TSPR AND THE HILL)
U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger on Oct. 29 announced he would not seek reelection to Congress this year, and on Jan. 13, U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood and all candidates could start circulating petitions for Illinois’ June 28 primaries. But almost anything can happen in the meantime.
Two longstanding political observers look at Congressman LaHood and one-time GOP colleague Kinzinger, and their political prospects.
As former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie intimates in his new book, “Republican Rescue: Saving the Party from Truth Deniers, Conspiracy Theorists, and the Dangerous Policies of Joe Biden,” the GOP is influenced by lies about the 2020 election and especially what’s become a Donald Trump cult. Others have said Republicans are divided into three wings: 1) Those who defend democracy, risking their political futures, such as Kinzinger and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.); 2) Some who know Trump lost in 2020 but appease the former president’s base to protect their careers; and 3) Those who are true believers in Trump, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri.
But is there a real difference? As Shelley Epstein notes, LaHood voted with Trump more than 92% of the time, according to ABC News’ FiveThirtyEight news/analysis weblog, which also shows that Kinzinger voted along with Trump 90.2% of the time.
So: What’s next for these two — and us all?
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