The Republican candidate for Dave Obey’s House seat says his campaign won’t change, no matter who runs against him. During a conference call with reporters on Wednesday, Sean Duffy was asked whether he thought his aggressive campaign against Obey may have been a factor in the veteran Democrat’s decision to not seek reelection. “I don’t know if this had anything to do with that, but Mr. Obey did polling in February and didn’t release those results, so I think he probably knows better than the rest of us what the mood and the sentiment is here in the 7th Congressional District,” said Duffy.
Now that Obey has announced he’s not seeking reelection, Duffy will face a Democrat without Obey’s long record. Does that make his job more difficult? “I wasn’t running against Dave Obey. I’m running on a set of principles and ideas, and a certain vision for our country,” said Duffy. “I think common sense folks that we have here in northern Wisconsin have seen that message resonates, and they like it.”
Duffy, the Ashland County District Attorney, was also asked whether his stint as a star on MTV’s “Real World” reality program could come back to haunt him on the campaign trail. He conceded it may, but “I believe people are more concerned about their reality today,” he said. “They’re concerned about the direction of the country, they’re concerned about their jobs and the debt and the kind of American we’re going to pass off to the next generation, more so than a reality TV show from almost 15 years ago.”
Obey announced Wednesday that he will not seek reelection after 41 years representing northern Wisconsin’s Seventh District. Obey said there are six Democrats he’d spoken with about running for the seat – although he didn’t name names.
Sean Duffy conference call (14:30 MP3) AUDIO: Sean Duffy conference call (14:30 MP3)