Nashville, TN (TN Tribune)– It’s April 2021 and five GOP senators have stated they will not be running for reelection. Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina said back in 2016 that his current term would be his last, and Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania revealed last October that he would not run for reelection either. Then, on Monday morning, Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio joined them, saying in a statement that “[I]t has gotten harder and harder to break through the partisan gridlock and make progress on substantive policy.”
GOP Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri and Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby also won’t seek reelection in 2022.
The retirements are likely to pose some challenges for Republicans as Democrats eye pick-up opportunities in battleground states.
