BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania will not seek re-election in 2022, he announced Monday. He also will not run for governor in 2022, when the seat becomes open.
If you want to receive BREAKING NEWS ALERTS, please download our WPXI News App. You can also follow WPXI on Facebook and Twitter.
Toomey is serving his second term in the presidential battleground state. He made the announcement that he would not run for re-election at 10 a.m. in Bethlehem, near Toomey’s home in suburban Allentown.
He said the decision was personal, not political, and he is looking forward to spending more time with his family. He noted that the reason he made the announcement now is that he gets daily phone calls asking if he is running for governor, and he wanted to be candid.
Toomey’s announcement comes as a surprise. He is Pennsylvania’s only statewide elected Republican official, outside of the courts, and had been widely considered the shoo-in nominee if he decided to run for governor in 2022, when Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf is term-limited.
Toomey said last week’s debate and President Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis played absolutely no role in his decision.
He also adds - last week’s debate & President Trump’s COVID-19 played no role whatsoever in his decision to leave at the end of his term. @WPXI
— Gabriella DeLuca (@GabriellaDeLuca) October 5, 2020
Toomey said instead of running for another elected office, he will enter the private sector.
Wolf said after Toomey’s announcement that he wishes the senator well in his new chapter.
Allegheny County GOP Chairman Sam DeMarco issued the following statement regarding Toomey’s decision:
“Pat Toomey is that rare leader who considers public service precisely a period of service to his community and nation, not a full time career. He has been an example of principle and consistency representing Pennsylvania. More than that — Pat Toomey knows that he needs no elected title to have a meaningful life. We will miss his voice in the US Senate, but know it will be raised elsewhere in the years ahead. Now comes the hard duty of finding someone to fill his place. Our party has a deep bench of talent and it gives us confidence moving forward.”
We are waiting to hear back from the Democratic Party as well.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
TRENDING NOW:
Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
