Their payoff far exceeds their intent to run for re-election. No Democrat would vote for ever them and now no Republican would either.
That must be true, since they have committed political suicide.
No, he probably knows this is America’s pivot point, and there will be no real election going forward.
As such, this is the way to make sure he is included in the special group of non-contested elite’s, in any future fake elections, or in the event there are not even SOVIET style show elections.
I would say all of these are jockeying for perminant seats in the global socialist “inner sanctum”.