Adam Daniel Kinzinger[1] (/ˈkɪnzɪŋər/; born February 27, 1978) is an American politician, senior political commentator for CNN, and former lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard.

He graduated from Normal Community West High School in 1996[5] and earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Illinois State University in 2000.

Much of its eastern portion, including Kinzinger's home in Channahon, near Joliet, was merged with the Rockford-based 16th District, represented by fellow Republican Don Manzullo, a 67-year-old politician first elected in 1992.

[20] Then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor helped Kinzinger, who was a rising Republican star, topple Manzullo in the Illinois primary.

[30][31] On November 30, 2016, legislators approved a measure within the National Defense Authorization Act to ask the U.S. State Department to take action against foreign propaganda through an interagency panel.

[34][35] Kinzinger argued that "with the federal government being the single largest consumer of energy in the country, doing our best to maximize the potential savings from improved insulation systems is a commonsense step I think everybody can agree on.

"[52] According to journalist Jeremy W. Peters, Kinzinger had an uneasy feeling on the day of the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and asked his wife not to attend the joint session to officially certify the election.

Just after 2:18 p.m., Kinzinger received an email from the Capitol Police telling him to stay away from windows, close and lock doors, remain quiet, and silence all electronics.

[65] On October 29, 2021, Kinzinger announced that he would not seek reelection to Congress in 2022, after redistricting placed him and another Republican incumbent, Darin LaHood, in the same district.

On November 5, 2021, Kinzinger was one of 13 House Republicans to break with their party and vote with a majority of Democrats for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

[73] As a member of the committee investigating the January 6 attack and related issues, Kinzinger oversaw its fifth public hearing on June 23, 2022, serving as the lead questioner of witnesses.

[75] In his farewell address to Congress on December 15, 2022, Kinzinger warned his colleagues of the influence of conspiracy theories and falsehoods on politics, as well as threats to democracy in America and rising authoritarianism and factionalism.

[92] On Twitter, Kinzinger praised Donald Trump's decision to have Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani, Commander of the Quds Force and the third most powerful person in Iran, killed.

He also rebutted claims that supplying aid would escalate the conflict, comparing that argument to "a husband saying, 'If you leave me, I'll hit you harder and so you can't go.'

[111] In 2015, Kinzinger was one of 60 Republicans voting to uphold President Barack Obama's 2014 executive order banning federal contractors from making hiring decisions that discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

[115] On February 24, 2021, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene hung a sign outside of her office reading "There are TWO genders: MALE & FEMALE 'Trust The Science!'"

Rep. Newmans [sic] daughter is transgender, and this video and tweet represents the hate and fame driven politics of self-promotion at all evil costs.

In 2022, Kinzinger was one of six Republicans to vote in favor of the Global Respect Act, which imposes sanctions on foreign persons responsible for violations of internationally recognized human rights against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) individuals, and for other purposes.

[128] On January 7, 2021, the day after the storming of the U.S. Capitol by a violent pro-Trump mob, Kinzinger became the first Republican member of the House to call for Trump's removal from office via the 25th Amendment.

[135] On May 19, 2021, Kinzinger was one of 35 Republicans to join all Democrats in voting to approve legislation to establish the formation of a January 6 commission to investigate the storming of the U.S.

[138] On October 21, 2021, Kinzinger was one of nine House Republicans to vote to hold Trump ally Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the January 6 Committee.

[141][142] In February 2023, it was announced that Kinzinger was scheduled to release a book for Penguin Random House called Renegade: My Life in Faith, the Military, and Defending America from Trump's Attack on Democracy in October 2023.

[143] In August 2024, Kinzinger addressed the Democratic National Convention, denouncing the Republican Party as "no longer conservative" and proclaiming his support for Kamala Harris's presidential campaign.

"[144][145][146] In Fall 2024, director Steve Pink released the documentary film The Last Republican, which followed Kinzinger through his last term in office, and detailed his work on the January 6th Committee.

[147] In early 2021, a few weeks after the January 6 Capitol attack, Kinzinger launched the Country First PAC, as a means to reform the Republican Party and distance itself from far-right conspiracies, including QAnon.

[152] In the 2023 special election to fill a vacancy in the Wisconsin Senate, Country First ran negative advertisements to prevent the victory of Trumpist Janel Brandtjen in the Republican primary,[153][154] which she ultimately did not win.

On 2022, during J6 panel Kinzinger slam 5 Republican lawmakers including Rep. Matt Gaetz, Rep. Scott Perry and said "The only reason I know to ask for a pardon is because you think you've committed a crime"[162] On January 20, 2025, President Joe Biden announced preemptively pardoned for the January 6th Committee members including Kinzinger from potential future prosecution by the incoming Trump administration.

[172] Recalling the event in an interview, Kinzinger said, "The whole time it was, to me, kind of a done deal that I was going to get stabbed in the process, but I knew that this wasn't something I could wake up to ... every day with that memory that I watched her die.

For this act Kinzinger also received the United States Air Force Airman's Medal and the National Guard's Valley Forge Cross for Heroism.

[183] Kinzinger was criticized by gun safety experts including Steve Hendrick, who operates Shield Firearms Training in Kansas City.