Sean Duffy

'Struggling' Sean Duffy Now Advocating Congressional Pay Freeze

David Taintor | February 1, 2012, 2:26PM

Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI)

Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) has come a long way since a town hall meeting last year where he said he was "struggling" to get by on his $174,000 congressional salary.

In fact, Duffy is doing so well that he introduced a bill last week to extend a current pay freeze for federal employees -- and freeze salaries for members of Congress. The military is not included in the pay freeze.

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Sean Duffy

Wisconsin Democrats Find Attack On Sean Duffy In Financial Disclosures

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 22, 2011, 3:29PM

Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI)

Updated with Duffy's response below.

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin has found a new line of attack on the fiscal life of Rep. Sean Duffy's (R-WI), months after jibes over his claim that he was struggling to live on his $174,000/year congressional salary began to burn out.

Democrats are fond of taking on Duffy over money, and after his latest financial disclosure form was released to the press, they think they've found their next soft spot to poke.

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Sean Duffy

TV Station Demands GOP Rep. Sean Duffy Take Down Footage His Staff 'Doctored' (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 14, 2011, 3:13PM

Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) is in hot water again thanks to YouTube.

A few months after a county Republican Party in Wisconsin attempted to scrub the Internet of Duffy's contention that he struggles to pay bills on his $174,000 per year taxpayer-funded salary, his staff pulled down another YouTube clip of Duffy after a local station in Eau Claire, Wisc., said Duffy's staff "doctored" it.

A Duffy spokesperson told TPM the video has been removed at the request of the station and says no substantial changes were made.

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WI-07

Sean Duffy Gets First Opponent Of 2012 Cycle

Eric Kleefeld | April 25, 2011, 3:50PM

Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI)

Freshman Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI), who picked up a seat for the Republicans in the 2010 wave, now has his first declared challenger, with former Wisconsin state Sen. Pat Kreitlow launching his campaign.

Kreitlow was elected to the state Senate in the Democratic wave of 2006, after a news broadcasting career in western Wisconsin, defeating a Republican incumbent. He then lost his race for re-election in 2010.

Duffy was elected to Wisconsin's 7th District in 2010, after having served as a district attorney (and earlier starring on MTV's The Real World), winning the seat that Democratic Rep. David Obey had held for over 40 years until his retirement.

Recently, Duffy was the subject of high profile embarrassment when he publicly stated at a local event that he was "struggling" on his Congressional salary of $174,000 per year. The local Republicans then attempted to pull the video from the Internet -- which then led to Duffy's office complaining about TPM's surviving excerpt, saying it was selectively edited. Eventually, Duffy admitted that his words were "poorly chosen."

Medicare

Significant New Progressive Ad Campaign Targets Republicans For Voting To End Medicare (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | April 24, 2011, 5:00PM

In a significant escalation of the progressive campaign to make Republicans pay a political price for voting to end Medicare, the progressive advocacy group Americans United for Change will run broadcast TV ads in the districts of Reps. Steve King (R-IA), Sean Duffy (R-WI), Chip Cravaack (R-MN), and Paul Ryan (R-WI).

"What are House Republicans thinking asking millions of seniors, the less fortunate and the disabled to make more sacrifices and the richest among us to make less," says AUC executive Tom McMahon in a statement.

If Republicans have their way, there would be no more guaranteed Medicare benefits for America's seniors, only a guarantee of paying more and more out of pocket for less care after being left to the mercy to the private insurance industry. There would only be a guarantee that millions of Americans would lose their jobs - only a guarantee that America's poor and disabled will live sicker and die younger while millionaires get another tax break they don't need and the nation cannot afford. This is not a path to prosperity, only a path to bankrupting seniors so Paris Hilton and BP can have another tax break. And there's nothing courageous about that.

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Medicare

New Dem PAC Launches Attack Ads Against GOPers Who Voted To End Medicare (AUDIO)

Brian Beutler | April 20, 2011, 11:16AM

Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI)

A new political action committee dedicated to ending the Republican majority in the House unveiled its first major ad buy Wednesday -- attacking Republicans for voting to end Medicare while giving wealthy Americans a tax cut.

"House Republicans are breaking the trust our country has with its seniors by ending Medicare as we know it, making them pay more for prescriptions drugs, and by forcing them to turn to the private health insurance market," said Alixandria Lapp, Executive Director of House Majority PAC, in a statement. "House Republicans have no problem asking seniors, middle class families and veterans to make sacrifices, yet refuse to do the same for big corporations and millionaires who would receive trillions in new tax breaks. We will hold House Republicans accountable for their backwards priorities."

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Sean Duffy

Sean Duffy: Salary Words 'Poorly Chosen,' Even 'In Context'

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 4, 2011, 9:30AM

Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI)

Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) says the media spectacle caused by his now-infamous February town hall appearance in Polk County, Wisconsin won't stop him from meeting with constituents. But it might make him think twice before he talks about his $174,000/year salary again.

"In context, my words were admittedly poorly chosen," Duffy told the Wausau Daily Herald when asked about his statement that his family of seven is "struggling" on his taxpayer-funded salary, which is more than three times the median household pay in Wisconsin.

Duffy told the paper "he didn't complain about his salary."

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Sean Duffy

CNN's Joe Johns Corrects Sean Duffy Selective Editing Report (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro and Melissa Jeltsen | April 1, 2011, 6:23PM

A day after he reported the office of Rep. Sean Duffy's (R-WI) false accusation that TPM posted "selectively edited" video of Duffy talking about "struggling" on his $174,000/year salary, Johns corrected the record and reported that, in fact, TPM had posted the full clip until the the Polk County GOP forced its removal.

Speaking on CNN Newsroom Friday afternoon, Johns told anchor Brooke Baldwin that Duffy's suggestion that TPM selectively clipped the tape was, in fact, not true.

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Sean Duffy

Sean Duffy To CNN: TPM Selectively Edited My Video!

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 31, 2011, 7:18PM

Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) and CNN's Joe Johns

On CNN Newsroom today, CNN reporter Joe Johns accused TPM of posting a "selectively edited" version of the town hall appearance where Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) discussed "struggling" to live on his $174,000/ year salary. The accusation came by way of Duffy's office, which Johns reported said the clip had been deliberately cut to leave off Duffy saying he would support cutting his salary.

That accusation from Duffy's office comes after the Polk County, Wisconsin Republican Party -- which originally posted the five-minute video of Duffy talking about his salary -- demanded the full version posted by TPM on Tuesday be pulled off the internet, claiming it was protected by copyright.

After receiving the complaint, out of abundance of caution and on the advice of counsel, TPM posted a one minute excerpt of the five-minute video. Now the Duffy camp is complaining that the edited version of the video, which TPM originally ran in its entirety, is misleading. You can judge for yourself by viewing the entire video below, which we have decided to repost.

The gist however is that after using their legal muscle to force us to take down the full video and replace it with an excerpt, Duffy's office is now claiming that the use of the excerpt is a ploy to mislead the public about what he said. And CNN is reporting their bogus claim as fact.

For the record, TPM specifically reported Duffy's comment that he would support an across the board public employee pay cut in both the original story we posted Tuesday with the full video and in the followup story Wednesday that contained the video excerpt.

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Sean Duffy

So How Rich Is Sean Duffy? Not Very...For A Congressman

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 31, 2011, 12:58PM

Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI)

Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) is in hot water this week for saying that he's "struggling" to pay bills on his $174,000 annual taxpayer-funded salary. In the now-infamous video clip, Duffy told attendees at a Polk County, Wisc., town hall meeting that "I guarantee that I have more debt than all of you."

That may or may not be true, but one thing is certain -- Duffy is one of the poorest members of Congress. OpenSecrets.org, which tracks the money in Congress, ranks Duffy as near the bottom among House members when it comes to his personal net worth.

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Sean Duffy

GOP Rep: I'm 'Struggling' On My $174K Salary (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 29, 2011, 5:39PM

Update: After the Polk County GOP tried to pull this video off the Internet, we reposted it here.

At a town hall meeting in Polk County, Wisconsin earlier this year, Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) was asked whether he'd vote to cut his $174,000 annual salary. Duffy sort of hedged, and went on to talk about how $174,000 really isn't that much for his family of seven to live on. Then he went on to say he supports cutting compensation for all public employees, along the lines of what Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) has proposed for the Badger State.

The whole thing was caught on tape, and it was posted to the Polk County GOP's blog, along with several other clips from the town hall. Then just that clip where Duffy talks about his salary was taken down and removed from the internet by the county party because, an official said, the YouTube clip "was being republished without our consent."

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Spending

GOP Freshmen Questioned Over Support For Cutting Workforce Training

Brian Beutler | March 15, 2011, 11:22AM

House Republicans have questions to answer back in their districts about the spending cuts they've recently voted for and continue to support. Back in Wisconsin, where state Republicans are already under attack after their broadside against collective bargaining rights, GOP freshmen in competitive districts are catching earfuls from locals about budget cuts.

The Green Bay Press Gazette flags one example. House bill HR 1 -- the Republican House majority's flaship legislation this Congress -- eliminates funding for the Workforce Investment Act, which funds job training for people out of work.

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DCCC

DCCC Targets 19 Republicans Over Spending Cuts, Ethics Issues

Brian Beutler | January 31, 2011, 11:45AM

Rep. David Rivera (R-FL)

The DCCC is already targeting 19 Republicans from marginal districts with local radio ads.

For the most part, the ads criticize the members for supporting GOP spending cut proposals. But they're also going after a couple of members -- Reps. David Rivera (R-FL) and Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA) -- who remain under ethical clouds.

"Did you know Congressman David Rivera is under criminal investigation for receiving secret payments from his mother's company?" says a narrator in the Rivera ad. "Tell Rivera to come clean so he can finally get to work for us."

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WI-07

The Hill Poll: GOPer Duffy Leads For Dave Obey's Seat By Nine Points

Eric Kleefeld | October 13, 2010, 11:43AM

WI-07 House Candidates Sean Duffy (R) and Julie Lassa (D)

A new poll from The Hill finds that Republicans could pick up a seat that has been in Democratic hands for 41 years -- the northern Wisconsin district of retiring Democratic Rep. Dave Obey. According to their poll, Republican prosecutor and former Real World star Sean Duffy has a lead of nine points over Democratic state Sen. Julie Lassa.

The numbers: Duffy 44%, Lassa 35%. The survey of likely voters has a ±4.9% margin of error. The poll was conducted by Penn Schoen Berland, and there is no previous survey of this district from them for direct comparison.

Obey first won the seat in a 1969 special election, and has consistently won re-election with over 60% for many years. However, underneath that surface the district is often a swing seat for the presidential vote, and closely matches Wisconsin's overall leanings. And given that the polls in Wisconsin this year have often shown a serious enthusiasm gap dragging down the Democratic numbers, it shouldn't be too surprising to see this seat on the line.

WI-07

Sean Duffy Spins Logs In New Ad (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | September 29, 2010, 1:31PM

Campaign ad from House candidate Sean Duffy (R-WI) "Get America Rolling Again!"

Sean Duffy, the Republican nominee (and former Real World star) running for the northern Wisconsin seat of retiring long-time Democratic Rep. David Obey, has a new ad that continues the lumberjack motif from his previous spot.

The last ad focused on chopping wood, while the new one is based on rolling logs through the water -- first with a career politician spinning various folks into the water, until Duffy comes along and triumphs.

"Washington's reckless spending and government growth is spinning our country out of control. The economy is suffering. And our working folks have been tossed aside," says Duffy. "Our government is trillions of dollars in debt. And our kids are left to soak up the cost. It's so bad, even our seniors have lost their footing. I'm Sean Duffy, and I approved this message -- because it's time we dunk our career politicians, and we get America back on track."

You have to wonder about this lumberjack gimmick in Duffy's ads. It's possible that he misread the Republican strategists' memos about appealing to Sarah Palin's voters -- and is instead copying Michael Palin.

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WI-07

Sean Duffy Ad: 'I Come From A Long Line Of Lumberjacks' (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | September 16, 2010, 12:08PM

Ad from Sean Duffy, Republican candidate for Congress, "Sean Duffy Bringing the Axe to Washington"

Check out this new TV ad from Sean Duffy, the district attorney, former Real World star and now Republican nominee for the northern Wisconsin House seat currently held by the retiring Democratic Rep. Dave Obey. The spot shows the beautiful great outdoors of Wisconsin -- and Duffy in a red plaid shirt and swinging an ax.

"I come from a long line of lumberjacks. My family has a proud heritage of swinging the ax. I've always been quick to take on a big piece of timber, and I'm just as ready to topple the big spending in Washington," says Duffy, proceeding to chop some wood. "Our national debt has grown sky high, thanks to the liberals in D.C. I'll work in Congress to cut the spending, and balance the budget.

"I'm Sean Duffy, and I approve this message, because I'll bring the ax to Washington."

Must...not...make...Monty Python reference...

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WI-07

DCCC Ad Accuses Sean Duffy Of Backing Social Security Privatization (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | August 30, 2010, 4:32PM

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ad

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has a new TV ad against Sean Duffy, the Republican candidate for the seat held by the retiring senior Rep. David Obey (D-WI), hammering him for backing Social Security privatization -- a connection made through his apparent statement of support for the policies of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI).

"Privatizing would cut the guaranteed benefit, and gamble seniors' retirement on the stock market," the announcer says. "Remember the crash? Families could have lost nearly 40 percent of their retirement benefits -- 40 percent."

The DCCC bases the claim that Duffy supports privatization not on a direct statement of his on the specific subject, but instead on his having stated his support for the budget roadmap offered by Ryan, which was obtained on a tracker video. And in turn, Ryan's blueprint involves Social Security privatization.

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WI-07

Dems Get Top Recruit For Obey's House Seat

Eric Kleefeld | May 11, 2010, 12:37PM

WI-07 House candidate Julie Lassa (D)

Democrats have gotten their favored candidate to run for the northern Wisconsin House seat held by retiring Democratic stalwart David Obey, with state Sen. Julie Lassa entering the race on Monday.

Last week, when Obey announced his surprise retirement, Lassa's name was at the top of the list of potential candidates. In addition, the party made it clear its intention to a) get a candidate quickly, within ten days of Obey's announcement, and b) to coalesce around that candidate and avoid a primary. Lassa's likely Republican opponent is Sean Duffy, the Ashland County district attorney and a former cast member on MTV's The Real World reality show.

Some of the Dems who had been mentioned as potential candidates, such as state Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker and State Sen. Pat Kreitlow, have endorsed Lassa, but two other Dem names are still floating out there: Former state Sen. Kevin Shibilski, and state Rep. Louis Molepske. A Dem source in Wisconsin told TPMDC: "Julie stepped up and announced her intentions within just a few days of Dave Obey's retirement. I think other people can still run, but everything I've heard makes me think that Julie will run a very strong campaign and be the nominee."

Moneybomb

Palin-Backed Moneybomb Fizzles

Eric Kleefeld | February 18, 2010, 12:06PM

Sarah Palin and WI-07 House candidate Sean Duffy (R)

Sarah Palin's political appeal among the GOP base is undisputed, insofar as it applies to her own political fortunes -- but she might not be able to transfer her popularity to someone else.

Yesterday, in a posting on her Facebook account, Palin promoted a moneybomb fundraiser for Sean Duffy (R-WI), a district attorney and former Real World cast member running against longtime Democratic Rep. David Obey. "On this first anniversary of the stimulus, let's send a message to the big-spenders in Washington by helping Sean Duffy unseat the author of the stimulus," Palin wrote. "Let's put government back on our side and get to work revitalizing America!"

For his moneybomb, Duffy set a very low goal of only $25,000, which seemed like a depreciation of the "moneybomb" term compared to the events that usually attract six figures or even more -- and he still didn't get it. At midnight Central Time last night, the end of the original countdown on Duffy's site, the moneybomb had only taken in $24,585. As of this writing, he has $27,118.

WI-07

Real World Wisconsin: Tea Partier vs. Former Reality TV Star For Obey Seat

Christina Bellantoni | January 12, 2010, 2:39PM

Dan Mielke, Rep. Dave Obey (D-WI), and Sean Duffy

National Republicans are excited about Sean Duffy, a Wisconsin district attorney and one-time "Real World" star who is attempting to unseat Rep. David Obey (D-WI). Duffy is raising money, nabbing mentions on conservative blogs and has earned attention on the National Republican Congressional Committee "young guns" list of potential stars.

But he's got a tea party candidate, produce and dairy farmer Dan Mielke, labeling him as the establishment's favorite at every turn.

Will this primary stop being polite?

The usual indicators of cash and organization suggest that Duffy will at least mount a serious challenge against Obey and the NRCC freely praises him despite not officially taking sides in GOP primaries.

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