Who is Adam Kinzinger?

Adam Kinzinger is an American politician serving as the US representative for Illinois’s 16th congressional district. He was one of only two Republicans to vote to create a select committee to investigate the 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

Kinzinger will be leading the 8th Congressional hearing into the January 6 riots on July 21.

Born on February 27, 1978, in Kankakee, Illinois, he is the son of Betty Jo, an elementary school teacher, and Rus Kinzinger, a CEO of faith-based organizations.

Also Read | Jan 6 hearing: Secret Service deleted text messages regarding Capitol riots

His initial youth was spent in Jacksonville, Florida, following which he was primarily raised in Bloomington, Illinois. He graduated from Normal Community West High School in 1996 and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Illinois State University in 2000.

Kinzinger was first elected to Congress in 2010 from the 11th district. The district covers eastern Rockford, most of Rockford’s suburbs, and a swath of exurban territory around Chicago.

Kinzinger’s district was largely merged with the 16th after the 2010 census. He transferred to the 16th after defeating its incumbent, Don Manzullo, in the Republican primary. He is a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard.

He defeated Democrat Dani Brzozowski in the 2020 election with 65% of the vote. On October 29, 2021, Kinzinger announced that he will not seek reelection to Congress in 2022. Kinzinger was ranked 5th on The Hill’s 2011 annual “50 Most Beautiful People” list.

Kinzinger is known for his vocal opposition to former President Donald Trump’s claims of voter fraud and attempts to overturn the results.

Also Read | January 6 hearings: Matthew Pottinger, Sarah Matthews to testify in session 8

The 44-year-old was one of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for incitement of insurrection in his second impeachment.

The Wisconsin Red Cross named Kinzinger its 2006 “Hero of the Year” for wrestling a knife-wielding man to the ground.

Kinzinger was engaged to Air Force Captain Riki Meyers, a fellow pilot, in 2011. However, the engagement was called off in 2012. In June 2019, he got engaged to Sofia Boza-Holman, a former aide to John Boehner and aide to Vice President Mike Pence. The duo got married on February 16, 2020. Their son, Christian Adam Kinzinger, was born in January 2022.