Wisconsin Republican to Leave Congress, Citing Family Needs

(Bloomberg) -- Republican Representative Sean Duffy of Wisconsin, who was elected to Congress in the Tea Party wave of 2010, announced Monday that he’s retiring from the House on Sept. 23.

Duffy said in a Facebook posting addressed to his constituents that he and his wife, Rachel, are expecting another child in October, and that that baby “will need even more love, time, and attention due to complications, including a heart condition.”

“With much prayer, I have decided that this is the right time for me to take a break from public service in order to be the support my wife, baby and family need right now,” he said. “It is not an easy decision – because I truly love being your Congressman – but it is the right decision for my family, which is my first love and responsibility.”

He met his wife, an Arizona native, through the MTV show, “The Real World,” Together, they already have eight children.

He said leaving his seat in September will “allow others to step forward to begin laying out their own vision and plans” for leading the district. He represents an sprawling area of northwestern Wisconsin that has turned strongly Republican in the past decade. Duffy was re-elected last November with 60% of the vote and President Donald Trump won the district with 57% in 2016.

Duffy serves on the House Financial Services Committee as the chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.

To contact the reporter on this story: Billy House in Washington at bhouse5@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Larry Liebert

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.