The Wisconsin Democrat Kind will not seek a 14th term in the U.S. House

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) The Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, who served more than 24 years in a southwestern Wisconsin district brought in by former President Donald Trump in 2020, announced Tuesday that he does not seek re-election next year.

The type is one of seven House Democrats serving in the districts Trump won. His departure makes it harder for Democrats to retain their majority in the House in next year’s mid-term elections.

The truth is Ive ran out of gas, Kind said at a press conference in his hometown of La Crosse. Kind, a moderate, said he was part of a dying race of talented politicians who believed in bipartisanship and finding common ground. He said politics should not be a constant sport where the goal is to destroy those on the other side.

Kindly, the longest -serving Democrat in the Wisconsins delegation, won re -election in 2020 by less than 3 points. Trump carried Minnesota’s vast border district by nearly 5 points. The type will be a top target for Republicans in 2022 when he faces a rematch with Derrick Van Orden.

Sunday’s announcement echoes what I hear every day as I travel to the 3rd District: Wisconsinite want change, Van Orden said in a statement.

The type is among a fading diversity of top Midwestern Democrats representing the vast rural stretches that have circled Republican over the past decade.

Like fellow moderate Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos, of Moline, Illinois, Kind represents counties along the Mississippi river that were once trusted Democrats, since the small, working -class working -class towns moved toward Trump in 2016. The districts of Kinds and Bustos is among seven in the country where voters split their vote in 2020, re -electing the Democratic House member and electing Trump.

Bustos is also not seeking re -election in 2022 after 10 years in the House.

First elected in 1996. His announcement that he was not seeking a 14th term came a day before the U.S. Census Bureau was to release population data that would define the lines of Wisconsins eight congressional districts. Wisconsin is not gaining or losing a seat, but the lines of the existing eight districts could change significantly.

The Kinds district has trended to be more conservative in recent years. Former President Barack Obama won it by 11 points in 2012, but Trump carried it by more than 4 points in both 2016 and 2020. Kind was unopposed in 2016, and won nearly 60% of the vote in 2018, but he won just 2.7 points against Van Orden, a retired Navy SEAL, in 2020.

Kind, 58, said he will have a harder time facing Van Orden in 2022.

Retirement of sorts is the clearest sign that a majority in House Democrats are toast, said Mike Berg, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

The Wisconsins 3rd Congressional District is one of three in the state held by Democrats. The other two are in Madison and Milwaukee, while the Republicans have five districts.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Kind a committed and effective champion, recognizing her work as a longtime member of the House Ways and Means Committee, advocating for small businesses, paid jobs and working to protect the environment. , specifically along the Mississippi river.

Kind said he would serve the remaining term, but did not take questions from reporters or say if he would run for another office.

This year’s goodwill did not invalidate a possible run for the U.S. Senate next year for the seat currently held by Republican Sen. Ron Johnson. The type has long been noted as a potential candidate for statewide office.

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Associated Press writer Tom Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report.

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