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Alabama US Sen. Shelby announces he won’t seek a 7th term
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — U.S. Sen. Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, the Senate’s fourth most senior member and who chaired four major committees, announced Monday that he will not seek a seventh term in office in 2022.
A titan of Alabama politics, the 86-year-old Republican has spent more than 40 years in Washington, serving first in the House and then the Senate. His stepping down will leave a power void for the region and will set off a free-for-all GOP primary for the seat at a time when the national Republican party is divided over direction.
“For everything, there is a season,” Shelby said. “I am grateful to the people of Alabama who have put their trust in me for more than forty years. I have been fortunate to serve in the U.S. Senate longer than any other Alabamian.”
Shelby stressed that he will finish the two years remaining in his current term and remarked, “I have the vision and the energy to give it my all.”