MADISON, Wis. — Longtime Democratic U.S. Congressman Ron Kind of La Crosse won’t seek reelection in 2022.
Rep. Kind announced his retirement Tuesday after nearly 25 years of service in the House of Representatives.
“I’m part of a dying breed in public service today, in Washington and certainly in Madison,” Kind said. “Someone that tried to be reasonable, pragmatic, thoughtful, worked hard to try to find common ground with my colleagues, work in a bipartisan way, to find bipartisan solutions for the challenges that we face.”
Reports that track congressional voting records have often placed Rep. Kind as one of the most bipartisan in the House of Representatives.
In a statement released shortly after Kind’s announcement, Gov. Tony Evers said Kind’s presence in Congress will be missed.
“”For more than two decades western Wisconsin has been able to count on Ron Kind. Thanks to his tremendous leadership, countless small businesses, farmers, and families have a brighter future ahead of them,” Evers said. “While his voice in Congress is going to be sorely missed, his legacy as a pragmatic and selfless leader will continue to move Wisconsin forward.”
The longtime representative narrowly beat out Republican challenger Derrick Van Orden this year with 51.3% of the vote, his closest election in years; Trump won the district on the Presidential side of the ballot. Van Orden has already announced another bid to seek election in Wisconsin’s third Congressional district in 2022.
Kind’s retirement could pave the way for Republicans to take another district in a 2022 election where Democrats are already fighting to hold a slim majority in the House.
This report will be updated.
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