Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) on Tuesday announced his exit from Congress, notching up a 40-percent exit rate among House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump.
Just before announcing his retirement, Upton noted in a campaign email on Tuesday “very positive” poll numbers in his primary race against Trump-endorsed Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI). Both Huizenga and Upton were running for the same seat due to state redistricting.
“My district was cut like Zorro — three different ways,” Upton told reporters. “So I’ve been here 36 years. When I first ran, I thought I’d be here 10.” Upton was first elected in 1986.
“I got a lot of unfinished business that I’m going to be working on now. … But no, this was our decision, independent of what I did with Trump,” Upton said, acknowledging his failed vote to impeach Trump.
Upton joins three other pro-impeachment Republicans to forgo running for reelection. Those include Reps. John Katko (R-NY), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL).
Additional pro-impeachment Republicans may also not make it to the November midterms. Reps. Tom Rice (R-SC) and Liz Cheney (R-WY) are facing tough reelection campaigns. Donald Trump called Rice “a disaster” in March and said he is “laughed at in Washington.”
“Look at every city that’s run by the Democrats if you want safety, security … vote for America First Republicans this November,” Trump said. “But before we can defeat the Democrat socialists and communists at the ballot boxes … we first have to defeat the RINOS and grandstanders in the primaries.”
Meanwhile, Cheney has a tough primary challenge against Trump-endorsed Harriet Hageman, who has earned the support of Rep. Kevin McCarthy and Republican megadonor Peter Thiel, who reportedly dubbed Cheney the “ringleader” of the “treasonous ten.”
McCarthy’s decision to support Hageman mirrors the overall criticism of Cheney. “Liz Cheney has lost Wyoming. Liz Cheney doesn’t live in Wyoming. She doesn’t represent us,” Hageman told Breitbart News in January. “She doesn’t represent our values.”
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