Sen. Richard Shelby Won't Seek Re-Election In 2022

WASHINGTON, DC — Sen. Richard Shelby will not seek re-election in 2022 after more than four decades representing Alabama in Congress, he announced Monday. Shelby, who turns 87 in May, has served in the U.S. Senate longer than any senator from Alabama.

Shelby served in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1987 before being elected to the Senate as a Democrat in 1988. He switched parties in 1994 and has run as a Republican since.

"I am grateful to the people of Alabama who have put their trust in me for more than 40 years," Shelby said Monday. "I have been fortunate to serve in the U.S. Senate longer than any other Alabamian. During my time in the Senate, I have been given great opportunity, having chaired four committees: Appropriations, Rules, Banking and Intelligence. 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 is currently the vice chairman and leading Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, where he recently served as chairman of the full committee and its subcommittee on defense. He formerly served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, of which he is the longest serving member in history. He remains a senior member on each of those committees. He was also previously the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Shelby also serves on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Born and raised in Birmingham, Shelby is a fifth-generation Alabamian and a graduate of the University of Alabama’s undergraduate and law programs. He began his career as a city prosecutor in Tuscaloosa and went on to serve as a U.S. magistrate for the Northern District of Alabama before working as a special assistant attorney general.

"Although I plan to retire, I am not leaving today," Shelby said. "I have two good years remaining to continue my work in Washington. I have the vision and the energy to give it my all. Thank you again for the honor you have given me — the honor to serve the people of Alabama in Congress for the last 42 years. I look forward to what is to come for our great state and our great nation."