WASHINGTON — Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said Monday that he won't seek re-election next year, becoming the fourth GOP senator to announce plans to retire at the end of the current Congress.
"During my time in the Senate, I have been given great opportunity, having chaired four committees: Appropriations, Rules, Banking, and Intelligence," Shelby in a statement. "In these positions of leadership, I have strived to influence legislation that will have a lasting impact — creating the conditions for growth and opportunity."
Shelby, 86, made it clear that he plans to serve the rest of his term through 2022. He has been in Congress since 1979, first in the House for eight years and then in the Senate for more than three decades.
Until Democrats took control of the Senate recently, Shelby had been chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee.
Shelby's seat is among 20 Republican-held Senate seats that will be contested in the next midterm elections. Fourteen Democratic-held seats will also be on the ballot.
Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., have announced plans to step down in 2022, as well. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., had previously said he won't seek re-election, either.
Shelby's announcement comes a day before the Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump is set to begin. Republicans have been under pressure to vote to convict Trump after the House impeached him last month for his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, but most have signaled that they are unlikely to do so.
