Duffy says he’s leaving Congress in September
MADISON – Republican U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy said Monday he will be leaving Congress in September to spend more time with his growing family. Duffy, who has represented Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District since 2011, said in a Facebook post he needs to step down in order to devote more time to a baby he and his wife are expecting in October. The baby has a heart condition, among other complications.
“I will miss being your Congressman, but I am also looking forward to having more time with my family, being home for more birthdays and hockey games, and having time to enjoy and care for our new baby girl, who is already so loved by our family,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
Duffy, 47, leaves Congress just as his name is being floated as a likely contender for governor or a U.S. Senate seat in a potential shuffle spurred by U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, who is openly mulling whether to seek another term in the Senate, run for governor or leave public life altogether.
Johnson, whose daughter was born with a heart defect, said Monday he is keeping Duffy and his family in his prayers.
“We are all saddened by the news that Sean and Rachel Duffy’s soon-tobe-born baby girl will experience significant health challenges,” Johnson said. “Family responsibilities should always come first, and I fully understand and respect Sean’s decision to devote his full time and attention to his family.”
Duffy and his wife, Rachel CamposDuffy — both of whom are well-known contributors to Fox News and entered public life on separate seasons of MTV’s reality TV show “Real World” — are expecting their ninth child.
Evers to call special election
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers will have to call a special election to fill Duffy’s seat. Evers’ office is reviewing potential dates for an election.
Under one scenario, the special election could be held April 7, when the state’s presidential primary is held.
Whoever won would have to quickly run again because his seat, like all others in Congress, will be on the ballot in November 2020.
Duffy’s district was for many years one of the most evenly balanced in the nation in its partisan makeup.
Likely to seek Duffy’s seat among Democrats are state Rep. Nick Milroy of
South Range and state Sen. Janet Bewley of Mason.
“It’s something I’m certainly going to think about,” said Milroy, who was elected to the state Assembly in 2007. “I think a lot of people are frustrated with the direction the country is going.”
Bewley said she loves her current job but would consider running for Congress.
“I owe it to the people I represent to take a look at it,” she said. “So never say never.”
State Sen. Tom Tiffany of Hazelhurst is the most likely to run for Duffy’s seat among Republicans. Sen. Jerry Petrowski of Marathon also has been named as a potential contender.
Tiffany did not return a phone call Monday, but in a statement he thanked Duffy for being a “tireless advocate” for his district.
“Since Sean’s announcement this morning, I’ve been receiving a number of calls asking about what’s next. I plan to talk to my wife Chris and my daughters, and my future plans will be announced soon,” he said.
Petrowski did not immediately return a call. Former state Rep. Adam Jarchow of Balsam Lake said he would be “100% behind” Tiffany if he gets in the race but would consider a run of his own “if it’s a field (of) just squishes.”
Redistricting, political shifts
Democrat Dave Obey held the seat from 1969 to 2011. But after Obey retired and Duffy got elected in 2010, Republicans redrew the lines to make it more favorable to the GOP, shifting three Democratic cities — Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids and Chippewa Falls — into a neighboring western Wisconsin district represented by Democrat Ron Kind.
But the shifting political landscape of rural Wisconsin, especially in the northern half of the state, has had an even bigger impact on the district.
While Republican Mitt Romney carried the Duffy seat by just 3 points in 2012, Donald Trump carried it by 20 points in 2016.
It was Trump’s biggest margin in any of Wisconsin’s eight congressional districts, and Duffy’s district experienced the biggest pro-Trump swing of any of the eight.
It is not the same playing field that the 7th District represented under Obey, said Kevin Seifert, a top adviser to former House Speaker Paul Ryan and a GOP strategist who was closely involved in the nationwide battle for the U.S. House in recent cycles.
“I would look more closely at 2016 than I would at 2012,” for a measure of the district’s partisan tilt, said Seifert, who said he was confident in the ability of his party to retain the district without Duffy running as the incumbent.
“It‘s a conservative district where the president has strong popularity,” said Seifert.
Duffy won re-election by more than 20 points in 2018 and 2016.
Duffy is a vocal supporter of Trump
Duffy has been one of the strongest supporters of Trump among Wisconsin Republicans — most recently as one of few lawmakers who defended the president’s tweets telling four congresswomen of color to “go back” to countries they came from despite most of them being born in the United States.
Unlike some of his GOP colleagues, Duffy has also been a vocal supporter of Trump on trade, an issue that has divided Republicans. He introduced legislation earlier this year to expand the president’s tariff powers.
Barry Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at UW-Madison, said while Duffy’s district heavily leans Republican, it’s not impossible for Democrats to win it in a special election.
He said before the 2011 map making that redrew the district in Republicans’ favor, former President Barack Obama won the district by 13 points in 2008 when he won Wisconsin by 14 points. In 2012 — after the new maps were drawn — Obama lost the district by 3 points, Burden said.
Duffy, who first became widely known on the MTV reality series “The Real World,” has maintained a high profile through appearances on Fox News and conservative media outlets up until very recently.
As of last week, Duffy also was still raising money for his re-election campaign.
Duffy’s decision to leave was announced less than an hour after his campaign released a redesigned website.
In a tweet Monday afternoon, Duffy said he was hopeful for the future.
“I so appreciate all the kind messages from everyone but I’m not dead. Feeling hopeful and looking forward to what the future holds,” he said.
In a statement, Ben Wikler, chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, said the party sends wellwishes to Duffy and his family as they face medical challenges.
“During the fight against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, I worked closely with the families of children born with congenital heart defects,” Wikler said. “Nurturing these children is a full-time job, and one that takes great emotional strength from the families who love them.”