Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Ron Kind will reportedly announce his retirement Tuesday, vacating a swing seat that former President Donald Trump twice carried.
Kind’s retirement, first reported by Politico, comes after he narrowly won reelection in his western Wisconsin seat, beating Republican challenger Derrick Van Orden by just three points. Kind, who won his first House race in 1996, won by over 20 points in 2018.
While Kind won in 2016 and 2020, Trump carried the district by about five points both times, even as President Joe Biden went on to beat him statewide in 2020.
His retirement is a blow to Democrats, who are fighting against worrying historical trends and decennial redistricting to keep their slim House majority. Though they have largely managed to avoid a mass exodus of members in competitive districts, Kind’s retirement makes holding his swing seat a much greater challenge.
Big news day — if we had ratings (we don’t because of redistricting), this would probably be a Leans Republican-rated pickup.
Overall flow of candidate announcements has been generally positive for Republicans in the House — this one most definitely included. https://t.co/CQp8fR12d7
— Kyle Kondik (@kkondik) August 10, 2021
He joins Democratic Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona, Cheri Bustos of Illinois and Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania, all of whom have said they will forgo reelection, Politico reported. (RELATED: Conor Lamb Jumps In To High-Stakes Pennsylvania Senate Race)
Kind has not ruled out a bid to take on Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, but if he does, he would face a crowded Democratic primary that includes Mandela Barnes, the state’s lieutenant governor.
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