Former Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon will not run for the U.S. Senate in 2022, dashing hopes of some Democrats who thought Nixon had the best chance to beat a Republican in the increasingly conservative state.
Nixon said in a statement that he believes he “will be more effective outside of this partisan back and forth.” Nixon, 65, served as governor from 2009 to 2017. Before that he served four terms as Missouri attorney general.
The current field of Democratic candidates includes people with less name recognition than the announced Republican candidates. Incumbent Republican Roy Blunt announced in March that he would not seek a third term.
