Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) announced on Monday that he would be stepping down from Congress in late-September, halfway through his fifth term.
“Recently, we’ve learned that our baby, due in late October, will need even more love, time, and attention due to complications, including a heart condition,” Duffy wrote in a statement to The Hill. “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. 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.”
“On September 23, I will step down and allow others to step forward to begin laying our their own vision and plans for leading this beautiful district and the most honest, hard-working, family-oriented, patriotic, and God-fearing constituents in America,” the statement continued.
Duffy rose to fame as a cast member on MTV’s ‘Real World’ reality television show in the late-1990s. He subsequently continued as a cast member on other shows within the franchise into the early-2000s. He met his now-wife and Fox News personality Rachel Campos-Duffy years later when they both appeared on ‘Road Rules: All Stars.’ Together, the couple has eight children and are expecting a ninth.
Duffy is also a two-time winner of the Lumberjack World Championship’s speed-climbing competition and hosts a weekly podcast, aptly titled the “Plaidcast.” It is not clear whether he plans to continue the beloved podcast.
Prior to joining Congress, Duffy served as a Wisconsin District Attorney after he was appointed by then-Gov. Scott McCallum. He continued to serve in the role for four more terms.
Duffy has represented Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District since he assumed office during the Tea Party wave in 2011. The district is the largest in the state of Wisconsin, covering 20 counties, and has become increasingly red over the past few election cycles.
In 2018, the Wisconsin congressman was re-elected to the seat after winning more than 20 percent of the vote. President Donald Trump also won the district over his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton by 21 points during the 2016 presidential election. The district is a Republican stronghold and is not expected to be competitive going into the 2020 election cycle.
Duffy currently sits on the prestigious and powerful House Committee on Financial Services and is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
The announcement of Duffy’s departure comes on the heels of a slew of other Republican members of Congress who recently revealed they would be stepping down from their position as well.
In July, Reps. Martha Roby (R-AL), Paul Mitchell (R-MI), and Pete Olson (R-TX) all announced within a week of each other that they would be leaving Congress prior to 2020. Like Duffy’s district, both Roby and Mitchell’s districts are forecast to stay reliably red. Olson’s district, however, is expected to be a top-tier battleground going into the next election cycle.