Democrat in swing district won’t seek 14th term in US House

FILE - In this June. 29, 2021 file photo, President Joe Biden talks with Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., left, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds as he arrives on Air Force One at La Crosse Regional Airport, in La Crosse, Wis. Kind, who served more than 24 years in a southwestern Wisconsin district that former President Donald Trump carried in 2020, announced Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021, that he won't seek reelection in 2022. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci File)

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Kind won’t seek reelection next year.

Kind has served more than 24 years in a southwestern Wisconsin district that former President Donald Trump carried in 2020.

“I’ve flown to and from Washington, DC and traveled the 18 counties of the most beautiful Congressional District in the Nation almost every week,” Kind said in a statement on Twitter.

Kind is just one of seven House Democrats serving in districts won by Trump. His departure announced Tuesday only makes it more difficult for Democrats to maintain their majority in the House in next year’s midterm election.

Kind is the longest-serving Democrat in Wisconsin’s delegation. He was first elected in 1996.

Kind was a top target for Republicans in 2022 as he faced a rematch with Derrick Van Orden.

The congressman said he and his wife are “looking forward to entering the next chapter of our lives.”

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