Marathon County GOP Chair Says Special Election Anyone's Game
Tuesday, August 27th, 2019 -- 10:48 AM
(WRN) -It's now up to Governor Tony Evers as to when a special election will be held to replace outgoing Congressman Sean Duffy.Marathon County GOP chair Kevin Hermening says he expects the election to take place by early November.
"I'm guessing there will be more than one candidate that will decide that they'd like to be in the House of Representatives as a Congressman. No doubt there will be a couple of people on the Democrat side seeking a seat as well."
Hermening says whoever wins the special election will then be up for re-election in 2020, which could allow a Democratic candidate to build name recognition even if they lose:
"But the other party's person will perhaps look to 2020 - a Trump re-election year - as an opportunity to make some headway and replace whoever wins this year, if in fact it is the Republican."
Hermening says there is no guarantee that the seat stays Republican especially with recent statewide wins for the Democrats.
"The Democrats are, without a doubt, going to see this as a major pickup opportunity. And although I haven't seen it yet, I would imagine that the Cook Political Report has probably moved this into the exact center."
The 7th Congressional District was a Democrat strong hold for many years while former Congressman David Obey was in the House. Duffy announced his resignation on Monday, saying he'll be spending his time with his family and his wife as she goes through a difficult pregnancy.
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