The number four Republican in the U.S. Senate announced that he will not be re-elected in 2022

U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala., pictured center) said Feb. 8 that he will not seek re-election in 2022.

U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said Monday (Feb. 8) that he will not seek re-election in 2022.

Shelby is the fourth-ranking Republican senator in the Senate and is 86 years old. He was first elected to Congress as a Democrat in 1978 and was first elected to the Senate in 1986. Shelby then switched parties to become a Republican in 1994.

“Today I am announcing that I will not be seeking a seventh term in the U.S. Senate in 2022. All things are determined.” Shelby said in a statement.

He half-joked that he would still be energetic enough to serve out his current term. “While I plan to retire, I’m not leaving office today. I have two wonderful years left to continue working in Washington. I have the vision and the energy to give it my all.” He added.

Shelby has served at the helm of the Senate, including the Rules Committee and the Intelligence Committee as a caucus. He is currently the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Shelby is the latest Republican senator to announce he will not run for re-election. Before that, Senators Pat Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania, and Rob Portman, Republican of Ohio, said they would retire at the end of their current terms, and Senator Richard Burr, Republican of North Carolina, said he would not run for re-election.

Republicans have 20 Senate seats to run for in the 2022 midterm elections, and Democrats have 14.

Shelby is a supporter of former President Trump (Trump) in the Senate, supporting Trump on matters such as the U.S.-Mexico border wall injection.

Shelby’s decision to retire will open a power vacuum in Alabama. The Hill (the Hill) reported that the vacancy left by Shelby is still an area of overwhelming Republican dominance, but will still cause fierce competition within the party.

The newspaper also said that Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama (Mo Brooks) is seen as a potential candidate.

Brooks told Rollcall Monday that he is considering a run for the state’s congressional Senate. “I will be running in the 2022 election for either the House seat or the Alabama Senate seat,” he said.

In addition, other potential contenders include Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth and U.S. Reps. Gary Palmer and Robert Aderholt.