MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Richard C. Shelby of Alabama says he won’t seek a seventh term in office in 2022. Shelby made the announcement in a statement on Monday. Shelby is the chamber’s fourth most senior member. The titan of Alabama politics has spent more than 40 years in Washington, serving first in the House and then the Senate. His stepping down will leave a power void for the region. And it will set off a free-for-all GOP primary for the seat at a time when the national Republican party is divided over direction. Shelby stresses that he still has two more years of work to do before he steps down.
