The Philadelphia Inquirer noted that Toomey’s retirement could have “significant implications for the state’s next elections.”, “As the only Republican holding statewide office other than judges, Toomey was widely seen as the likely Republican favorite for governor in 2022,” the Inquirer explained. (AP … Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., speaks during a ceremony Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, in Washington. “His decision not to run for that office or for Senate could create two wide-open contests on the Republican side, while depriving the party of running its most established current political figure in Pennsylvania.”. Of course you go with him, someone who has has name ID, money in the bank, a proven track record. I want to help your reelection campaign. Toomey had long expressed an interest in running for governor. Now, Republicans in Pennsylvania will be tasked with finding nominees for both seats in a state where Democrats have a registration advantage. “The talk was more about who was going to be the nominee to succeed him in the Senate. Senator Pat Toomey, the only Republican politician currently holding statewide office in Pennsylvania, will not run for reelection in 2022, he announced Monday morning. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) said Monday he plans to retire from the Senate in 2022. © 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Toomey will not seek re-election in 2022, according to a person with direct knowledge of Toomey's plans, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020. HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, a fiercely anti-tax and anti-regulation lawmaker who never entirely warmed to President Donald Trump, will not seek re-election in 2022, according to a person with direct knowledge of Toomey's plans. In 2010, he won by 2 percentage points and, in 2016, he won by slightly less than that in what was then the most expensive race in U.S. Senate history. October 5, 2020 / 2:57 PM Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) said Monday he plans to retire from the Senate in 2022. He has no specific plans other than to work in the private sector and spend more time in Pennsylvania with his family, he said. Fake or Real: Did Trump’s Campaign Really Send Email Raising Money to ‘Help Him Recover’ From Covid? [email protected]. Have a tip we should know? “My family and I have reached a decision, and I wanted to share that with the people of Pennsylvania, and that is that I will not be running for reelection in 2022, and I will not be running for governor,” Toomey said in a press conference. The governor's thing was sort of a foregone conclusion if Toomey wants it. Senator Pat Toomey, the only Republican politician currently holding statewide office in Pennsylvania, will not run for reelection in 2022, he announced Monday morning. A three-term congressman from the Allentown area in 2004, Toomey went against the party to take on then-U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter in the 2004 Republican primary. All those things.”. The timing of Toomey's announcement — in the middle of the presidential election — and his reasons for not running again were a mystery Sunday, even to many Republican insiders. Be in the know. “I think he would have been the strong favorite, among party people" to run for governor, said Christopher Nicholas, a veteran Republican campaign strategist in Pennsylvania. Allow us to reintroduce U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, who’s been representing you in Washington since 2011. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Live updates: Trump doctors clear discharge, but not "out of the woods yet", Trump says he's going back to the White House tonight, The post-Ginsburg Supreme Court's first abortion case, CDC updates COVID guidelines to include airborne transmission, Some states overpaid jobless aid — and now want the money back, Dramatic video shows rescue of crew fighting wildfire, Why Armenia and Azerbaijan are fighting, and why it could get uglier, Thomas Jefferson Byrd, known for Spike Lee films, killed in Atlanta, Trump and Biden even in Ohio, Biden up in Pennsylvania: CBS News poll, Battleground Tracker: Latest polls, state of the race and more, 5 things to know about CBS News' 2020 Battleground Tracker, CBS News coverage of voting rights issues. He said he has long believed there should be term limits, and although he didn't publicly set a limit to his time in the Senate, he always planned to serve two terms. How do I vote in my state in the 2020 election? Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/timelywriter. “I want to say very clearly that representing the people of Pennsylvania, this big, beautiful, complicated, diverse state, has been an extraordinary, amazing honor — it still is — and it’s been by far the highlight of my professional life.”, Toomey explained that the “reasons that I’ve reached this decision are not political, they’re personal,” and noted that “by the time I’ve finished this term I will have been in public office for eighteen years.”, “Eighteen years is a long time, and all of that time our family has lived in Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon). He made the decision now — in the midst of a pandemic, civil unrest and a presidential election — because he felt obligated to tell his supporters, he said. “Pat Toomey has spent his entire term working for special interests, trying to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, and giving handouts to the ultra-wealthy,” Brendan Welch, a Pennsylvania Democratic Party spokesperson, said in a statement. But the biggest surprise is that, Toomey, 58, will not run for governor in 2022, when the seat becomes open, said the person, who did not want to be named divulging information from private conversations before Toomey announces it publicly.