WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, a Kansas Republican, said Friday that he will not seek re-election in 2020.
Roberts, 82, has served in the U.S. Senate since 1997. He last won reelection in 2014.
"I will serve the remainder of this term as your senator, fighting for Kansas in these troubled times," Roberts announced in Topeka, state of Kansas. "However, I will not be a candidate in 2020 for a fifth Senate term."
Roberts, the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, has helped craft eight farm bills during his tenure. He had also served in the House for 16 years.
His retirement is set to spark interest in his seat from other Kansas Republicans, signaling a potentially crowed 2020 primary.
Republicans expect the seat to remain safely in their control as Kansas has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since the 1930s.
Roberts is the second Republican senator to announce not to seek re-election in 2020, following Tennessee's Lamar Alexander.
