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Sean Duffy

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Sean Duffy
Official portrait, 2017
United States Secretary of Transportation
Presumptive nominee
Assuming office
TBD
PresidentDonald Trump (elect)
DeputyTBD
SucceedingPete Buttigieg
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Wisconsin's 7th district
In office
January 3, 2011 – September 23, 2019
Preceded byDave Obey
Succeeded byTom Tiffany
District Attorney of Ashland County
In office
August 1, 2002 – July 9, 2010
Preceded byMichael Gableman
Succeeded byKelly McKnight
Personal details
Born
Sean Patrick Duffy

(1971-10-03) October 3, 1971 (age 53)
Hayward, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
​
(m. 1999)​
Children9
EducationSaint Mary's University of Minnesota (BA)
William Mitchell College of Law (JD)

Sean Patrick Duffy (born October 3, 1971) is an American politician, prosecutor, lobbyist, and reality television personality who is currently a co-host of The Bottom Line on Fox Business, as well as a contributor on Fox News. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 7th congressional district from 2011 to 2019. After resigning from Congress, he became a lobbyist.[1]

He first gained fame as a cast member on The Real World: Boston, 1998's Road Rules: All Stars and 2002's Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Seasons, before going on to serve as district attorney of Ashland County, Wisconsin.

In November 2024, Donald Trump named Duffy as his nominee for Secretary of Transportation in his second presidency.[2]

Early life

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Duffy was born on October 3, 1971, in Hayward, Wisconsin,[3][4][5] the tenth of 11 children of Carol Ann (née Yackel) and Thomas Walter Duffy. He has a marketing degree from St. Mary's University, and a J.D. degree from William Mitchell College of Law.[6]

Duffy started log rolling at age five and speed climbing (sprinting up 60- and 90-foot poles) at 13. He holds two speed-climbing titles.[7]

Television career

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In 1997, Duffy appeared on The Real World: Boston, the sixth season of the MTV reality television show, and on Road Rules: All Stars in 1998, where he met his future wife Rachel Campos. Duffy later appeared on Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Seasons, which aired in 2002. Both appeared in a filmed segment on 2008's The Real World Awards Bash, while Duffy served as district attorney.[8]

Duffy has been an ESPN color commentator for televised competitions and in 2003 appeared as both a competitor and commentator on ESPN's Great Outdoor Games. He was named Badger State Games Honorary Athlete of the 2004 Winter Games.[6]

In December 2022 Duffy and Dagen McDowell were named co-hosts of The Bottom Line, a show on Fox Business which premiered on January 23, 2023.[9]

Political career

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2002–2008

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Duffy, a Republican,[10] was appointed Ashland County District Attorney in 2002[11] to succeed Michael Gableman by Governor Scott McCallum. He was reelected unopposed in 2002,[11] 2004,[12] 2006[13] and 2008.[citation needed]

Duffy was on the Republican slate of the 10 Wisconsin electors for the 2008 presidential election.[14]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Duffy speaking at CPAC 2013

Elections

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2010
Main article: 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Wisconsin § District 7

On July 8, 2009, Duffy announced his campaign for Congress in Wisconsin's seventh congressional district. Duffy was considered an underdog in the race until May 2010 when 15-term incumbent Democratic representative Dave Obey announced that he would not seek re-election.[15] Following Obey's announcement, Democratic state Senator Julie Lassa joined the race.

On June 4, 2010, Duffy announced his resignation from the position of Ashland County District Attorney to focus on the congressional race. The resignation was effective three weeks later and Duffy returned to work in his father's law practice. He won the race on November 2, 2010, in a nationwide wave of Republicans being elected to Congress.[16]

Different sources attribute his victory to his ten-month head start on Lassa's campaign, his grassroots organization and fundraising, his experience as a district attorney, and voter discontent with the economy.[17]

2012
Main article: 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Wisconsin § District 7

Duffy was challenged by Democratic nominee Pat Kreitlow, whom he defeated.

2014
Main article: 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Wisconsin § District 7

Duffy was challenged by Democratic nominee Kelly Westlund. Duffy won.

Tenure

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In 2011, Duffy voted to eliminate Davis–Bacon Act prevailing wage requirements for federal projects.[18][19][20]

In March 2011, Duffy attended a Polk County Republican public town hall-style meeting in his district. In the video, following the passage of a state bill which would have effectively frozen the salaries of state employees, Duffy was asked about whether he would be willing to cut his own $174,000 salary. Duffy responded that he would only be willing to do so as part of a general round of salary cuts for government employees, and insisted that he was "struggling" to get by, despite his salary being nearly three times the average for Wisconsin residents.[21][22][23][24]

On December 22, 2011, Duffy and fellow Republican House freshman Rick Crawford (Arkansas), published an open letter to Speaker John Boehner, urging the leader to allow the House to vote on the Senate's two-month tax cut extension compromise.[25]

In 2013, Duffy and Democratic House member Michael Michaud (Maine) introduced a resolution calling for government action to ensure that people be provided with paper-based information along with electronic.[26]

Duffy was on the Select Investigative Panel on Planned Parenthood.[27]

Duffy supported President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order to impose a temporary ban on entry to the U.S. to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries. He stated that "President Trump is fulfilling a campaign promise to re-evaluate our visa vetting process so that the American people are safe from terrorism."[28]

In January 2017, Duffy co-sponsored legislation that would end protection for grey wolves in the Endangered Species Act.[29]

In February 2017, Duffy gave an interview to CNN's Alisyn Camerota. He supported President Trump's immigration and travel ban, which focused on combating radical Islamist terrorists. When Camerota, referring to the Quebec City mosque shooting, asked why Trump made no public statement on the white terrorists who perpetrated that act, Duffy replied, "I don't know, there's a difference. You don't have a group like ISIS or al-Qaeda that is inspiring people around the world to take up arms and kill innocents...That was a one-off, Alisyn."[30]

In July 2018, Duffy said that Europe, China, Canada and Mexico had committed "economic terrorism in a way" by placing retaliatory tariffs on the United States in response to tariffs enacted by the Trump administration.[31]

Duffy resigned his seat effective September 23, 2019, to care for a newborn daughter with a heart defect.[32]

Legislation sponsored

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Duffy proposed legislation[33] to replace the director of the consumer watchdog group, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), with a five-person commission and removing the CFPB from Federal Reserve System oversight so that it "would go through the same funding process as other federal agencies".[33][34][35] The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would have been renamed the Financial Product Safety Commission. The bill also intended to make overturning the decisions about regulations that the new commission made easier to do.[34] The bill gave the commission more room to get rid of policies that Duffy believes jeopardize the safety of the US banking system.[36]

In December 2015, Duffy introduced legislation[37] to establish a five-person financial oversight board over Puerto Rico (with members appointed by the White House) in exchange for allowing public entities in Puerto Rico access to Chapter 9 restructuring.[38][39][40][41]

In 2018, Duffy introducted legislation for Trump to enact more tariffs.[42]

Committee assignments

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Electoral history

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2010 U.S. Representative election for Wisconsin's 7th district
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Sean Duffy 132,551 52.11
Democratic Julie Lassa 113,018 44.43
Independent Gary Kauther 8,397 3.30
Write-ins 423 0.17
Total votes 254,389 100.00
Republican gain from Democratic
2012 U.S. Representative election for Wisconsin's 7th district
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Sean Duffy (Incumbent) 201,720 56.1
Democratic Pat Kreitlow 157,524 43.8
none Scattering 405 0.1
Write-In Dale C. Hehner 20 0.0
Total votes 359,669 100.0
Republican hold
2014 U.S. Representative election for Wisconsin's 7th district
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Sean Duffy (incumbent) 169,891 59.3
Democratic Kelly Westlund 112,949 39.4
Independent Lawrence Dale 3,686 1.3
n/a Write-ins 77 0.0
Total votes 286,603 100.0
2016 U.S. Representative election for Wisconsin's 7th district
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Sean Duffy (incumbent) 223,418 61.6
Democratic Mary Hoeft 138,643 38.3
n/a Write-ins 210 0.1
Total votes 362,271 100.0
Republican hold
2018 U.S. Representative election for Wisconsin's 7th district
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Sean Duffy (incumbent) 194,061 60.1
Democratic Margaret Engebretson 124,307 38.5
Independent Ken Driessen 4,416 1.4
Democratic Bob Look (write-in) 3 0.0
Write-in 53 0.0
Total votes 322,840 100.0
Republican hold
  • 2008 race for District Attorney of Ashland County, Wisconsin
    • Sean Duffy (R) (inc.)
    • unopposed
  • 2006 race for District Attorney of Ashland County, Wisconsin
    • Sean Duffy (R) (inc.)
    • unopposed
  • 2004 race for District Attorney of Ashland County, Wisconsin
    • Sean Duffy (R) (inc.)
    • unopposed
  • 2002 race for District Attorney of Ashland County, Wisconsin
    • Sean Duffy (R) (inc.)
    • unopposed

Personal life

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Duffy is a practicing Roman Catholic.[45]

Duffy is married to Rachel Campos-Duffy, a fellow alumna of The Real World, and Fox News personality, whom he met when they were co-stars on Road Rules: All Stars.[46][47] They lived in Ashland, Wisconsin, when Duffy was District Attorney for that county.[46][48][49][50] They moved to Weston, Wisconsin, in late 2011, in order for Duffy to be closer to Central Wisconsin Airport for his weekly commute to Washington, D.C., where he spent three or four days a week.[51][52]

As of August 2019, Duffy and his wife had eight children, and were expecting their ninth that October. On August 26, 2019, Duffy announced that because he and his wife learned that their ninth child would experience health complications, including a heart condition, he was resigning from Congress, effective September 23.[53] Their daughter, Valentina, was born on October 1, and was diagnosed with Down Syndrome.[54]

Duffy's nephew, Erik Johnson, is an American ice hockey defenseman for the Philadelphia Flyers.[55]

References

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  1. ^ "Sean Duffy heads to K Street after resigning from Congress". Politico. 2019.
  2. ^ Gold, Michael (November 18, 2024). "Donald Trump said he would nominate Sean Duffy, a former Republican congressman from Wisconsin who is a Fox Business host and whose wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, is a Fox News host, to be his transportation secretary". The New York Times. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  3. ^ "Rep. Sean Patrick Duffy". LegiStorm. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  4. ^ "Wisconsin: Sean Patrick Duffy" Archived 2014-03-06 at archive.today. The Washington Times. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  5. ^ "Sean Duffy's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  6. ^ a b "Hayward Lumberjack Champion Sean Duffy Named Honorary Athlete | Sports in Wisconsin". Badgerstategames.org. Wausau/Central Wisconsin Convention & Visitors Bureau. July 17, 2007. Archived from the original on October 19, 2009. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  7. ^ "Lumberjack World Championships, Hayward". Classic Wisconsin. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  8. ^ "The Real World Awards Bash (Extended Version)". MTV. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
  9. ^ Johnson, Ted (December 12, 2022). "Fox Business Network Adds 'The Big Money Show,' 'The Bottom Line' To Weekday Schedule". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022.
  10. ^ "Real World: Washington – The Scorecard". Politico. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  11. ^ a b "Bloomer passes referendum on first try". The Chippewa Herald. February 19, 2003. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  12. ^ "Wisconsin State Elections Board Results of Fall General Election – 11/02/2004" Archived 2011-07-18 at the Wayback Machine, December 1, 2004. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
  13. ^ "Wisconsin State Elections Board Results of Fall General Election – 11/07/2006" Archived 2008-04-30 at the Wayback Machine, December 5, 2006. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
  14. ^ Marrero, Diana (October 30, 2008). "Wisconsin slate of potential electors cut from all cloths". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  15. ^ "Sean Duffy running for congress". WAOW. July 8, 2009. Archived from the original on May 12, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  16. ^ "Wisconsin's Duffy says he's ready to get to work" Archived 2010-11-08 at the Wayback Machine. Chicago Tribune/Associated Press. November 3, 2010.
  17. ^ "Strong campaign, voter discontent keys to Duffy victory" Archived 2011-07-18 at the Wayback Machine. News Talk 550AM 99.9AM WSAU (AM). November 4, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2010.
  18. ^ "Republican Representative Sean Duffy of Wisconsin". That's My Congress. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  19. ^ "Sean Duffy on Jobs", ontheissues.org. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  20. ^ Bivins, Larry (December 24, 2011). "Duffy ends 2011 with bill he promised at start" Archived May 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. The Marshfield News-Herald.
  21. ^ Stewart, Rebecca. "'Real World' congressman's money troubles", CNN, March 30, 2011.
  22. ^ Gilbert, Craig (March 29, 2011). "House freshman Duffy tells constituents "he's not living high on the hog" on congressional pay". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  23. ^ Downie, James. "How to Prolong a Scandal, Wisconsin Edition", The New Republic, March 31, 2011.
  24. ^ Bivins, Larry. "Dems mock Sean Duffy's $174,000 salary 'struggles'"[permanent dead link‍], Wausau Daily Herald, March 31, 2011.
  25. ^ "Payroll tax cut: Two GOP frosh bail, push for two-month bill". Politico, December 22, 2001.
  26. ^ Rein, Lisa (February 16, 2013). "Group tries to slow federal government's move away from paper to the Web". The Washington Post.
  27. ^ Kane, Paul (October 23, 2015). "Boehner's next select committee, focusing on Planned Parenthood, to be led by Marsha Blackburn". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  28. ^ Blake, Aaron (January 29, 2017). "Coffman, Gardner join Republicans against President Trump's travel ban; here's where the rest stand". The Denver Post. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  29. ^ "Republican-controlled government sees chance to weaken Endangered Species Act". Ars Technica. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  30. ^ Scott, Eugene (February 8, 2017). "Duffy: 'There's a difference' on white terror and Muslim terror". CNN. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  31. ^ Dale, Daniel (July 25, 2018). "Republican congressman accuses Canada of 'economic terrorism'". Toronto Star. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  32. ^ Beck, Molly; Gilbert, Craig (August 26, 2019). "Sean Duffy says he's leaving Congress in September". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  33. ^ a b "H.R. 3192 (113th): Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Accountability Act of 2013". September 26, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  34. ^ a b Kasperowicz, Pete (April 17, 2018). "House to take another swing at Dodd-Frank reform". The Hill. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  35. ^ "House Members Introduce Bills Targeting CFPB Practices and Oversight". Bank-Insurance Connection.com. American Bankers Association. September 30, 2013. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  36. ^ "Congress to hear impact of regulations in Wausau" Archived April 21, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, wsau.com, October 31, 2011.
  37. ^ "Duffy Bill Addresses Puerto Rico Debt Crisis; Shields Americans from a Taxpayer Bailout". December 9, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  38. ^ "Pierluisi Introduces Legislation Authorizing U.S. Treasury Department to Guarantee Future Puerto Rico Bonds". October 8, 2015. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  39. ^ "U.S. Senators Introduce Identical Companion Bill to H.R. 870, the Puerto Rico Chapter 9 Uniformity Act". July 15, 2015. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  40. ^ Planas, Roque (December 9, 2015). "Puerto Rican Officials Say Congress' Inaction Will Lead To 'Humanitarian Crisis' On The Island". HuffPost. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  41. ^ House, Billy; Kaske, Michelle (April 13, 2016). "Puerto Rico Bill Stalls in House Amid Objections by Both Parties". Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  42. ^ "Duffy finds 18 co-sponsors for bill to increase Trump's tariff powers". Politico. January 24, 2019.
  43. ^ Hertel, Nora (November 20, 2014). "Duffy tapped for leadership position in House". Wausau Daily Herald. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  44. ^ Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, archived from the original on March 3, 2011, retrieved April 28, 2016
  45. ^ "Sean Duffy". WhoRunsGov/The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 14, 2010. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
  46. ^ a b Hunt, Kasie (October 20, 2010). "Sean Duffy's 'Real World' reprise". Politico. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  47. ^ Campos-Duffy, Rachel. "I'm Expecting My 5th: What To Make Of The Trend In Bigger Families". Parent Dish, December 19, 2007.
  48. ^ Duffy, Sean. "Meet Sean Duffy". Duffy for Wisconsin. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  49. ^ "Reality Couples: Rachel Campos". Latina. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  50. ^ "Cast and Crew". The Wedding Video. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  51. ^ Olivo, Rick (October 19, 2011). "Mr. Duffy moves to Weston". Sawyer County Record. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020.
  52. ^ Pabst, Georgia (May 11, 2013). "Rachel Campos-Duffy balances motherhood with activism". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  53. ^ "Wisconsin GOP Rep. Sean Duffy says he's resigning over baby's health issues". NBC News. August 26, 2019. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  54. ^ "Sean Duffy and wife Rachel's 9th child born with Down syndrome". October 8, 2019.
  55. ^ Dater, Adrian (November 3, 2020). "Around the Rink: No Doubt the NHL Is in a Golden Age of Young Talent". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on November 5, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
[edit]
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Wisconsin's 7th congressional district
2011–2019 		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Representative Order of precedence of the United States
as Former US Representative 		Succeeded byas Former US Representative
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