(FreedomBeacon.com)- On Tuesday, Michigan Republican Congressman Fred Upton announced that he would not be seeking reelection in November, citing Michigan’s redistricting map as the reason for his decision.
Michigan’s new congressional map effectively merged two Republican-held seats into one and would have forced Upton into a Republican-on-Republican race. Rather than run against a fellow incumbent Republican, Upton decided to retire.
At least, that’s the official reason.
But sources familiar with Michigan politics believe Upton chose to retire because in the Republican-on-Republican race the redistricting map caused, Upton was sure to come out the loser.
Upton, one of the ten Republican House members who voted to impeach former President Trump last year, was poised to face off against incumbent Republican Bill Huizenga now that Upton’s 6th District was merged with a large segment of Huizenga’s 2nd District.
Between the two of them, Huizenga is the far more conservative choice. What’s more, since former President Trump has vowed revenge on the ten Republicans who voted to impeach him, Huizenga quickly received Trump’s “complete and total endorsement” in the match-up.
Before redistricting changed the playing field, Trump had endorsed Upton’s primary challenger Michigan State Rep. Steve Carra. But after the new redistricting map was approved, Trump switched his endorsement to Huizenga in March, prompting Carra to drop out of the race and throw his support behind Congressman Huizenga.
According to Bill Ballenger, the editor of the Ballenger Report which covers Michigan politics, internal polling revealed that Fred Upton was “getting clobbered” by Bill Huizenga.
Fred Upton is the fourth pro-impeachment Republican to announce he would not seek re-election.
Ohio Republican Anthony Gonzalez, New York Republican John Katko, and Illinois’s weepy Adam Kinzinger also opted against running for re-election in 2022.
The other six who voted for impeachment are facing primary challengers, five of whom have been endorsed by former President Trump.
On hearing the news that Upton was retiring, the former president released a statement excitedly reporting “UPTON QUITS! 4 down and 6 to go.”
