Sean Patrick Duffy (born October 3, 1971) is an American politician, prosecutor, former sports commentator, and reality television personality who is currently a co-host of The Bottom Line on Fox Business, as well as a contributor on Fox News. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 7th congressional district from 2011 to 2019.
He first gained fame as a cast member on The Real World: Boston, 1998's Road Rules: All Stars and 2002's Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Seasons, before going on to serve as district attorney of Ashland County, Wisconsin.
Early life
Duffy was born on October 3, 1971, in Hayward, Wisconsin, the tenth of 11 children of Carol Ann (née Yackel) and Thomas Walter Duffy. Duffy has a marketing degree from St. Mary's University, and a J.D. degree from William Mitchell College of Law.
Duffy started log rolling at age five and speed climbing (sprinting up 60 and 90 foot poles) at 13. He holds two speed-climbing titles.
Television career
In 1997, Duffy appeared on The Real World: Boston, the sixth season of the MTV reality television show, and on Road Rules: All Stars in 1998, where he met his future wife Rachel Campos. Duffy later appeared on Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Seasons, which aired in 2002. Both appeared in a filmed segment on 2008's The Real World Awards Bash, while Duffy served as district attorney.
Duffy has been an ESPN color commentator for televised competitions and in 2003 appeared as both a competitor and commentator on ESPN's Great Outdoor Games. He was named Badger State Games Honorary Athlete of the 2004 Winter Games.
In December 2022 Duffy and Dagen McDowell were named co-hosts of The Bottom Line, a show on Fox Business which premiered on January 23, 2023.
Political career
2002–2008
Duffy, a Republican, was appointed Ashland County District Attorney in 2002 to succeed Michael Gableman by Governor Scott McCallum. He was reelected unopposed in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008.
Duffy was on the Republican slate of the 10 Wisconsin electors for the 2008 presidential election.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2010
On July 8, 2009, Duffy announced his campaign for Congress in Wisconsin's seventh congressional district. Duffy was considered an underdog in the race until May 2010 when 15-term incumbent Democratic representative Dave Obey announced that he would not seek re-election. Following Obey's announcement, Democratic State Senator Julie Lassa joined the race.
On June 4, 2010, Duffy announced his resignation from the position of Ashland County District Attorney to focus on the congressional race. The resignation was effective three weeks later and Duffy returned to work in his father's law practice. He won the race on November 2, 2010, in a nationwide wave of Republicans being elected to Congress.
Different sources attribute his victory to his ten-month head start on Lassa's campaign, his grassroots organization and fundraising, his experience as a district attorney, and voter discontent with the economy.
2012
Duffy was challenged by Democratic nominee Pat Kreitlow, whom he defeated.
2014
Duffy was challenged by Democratic nominee Kelly Westlund. Duffy won.
Tenure
In 2011, Duffy voted to eliminate Davis–Bacon Act prevailing wage requirements for federal projects.
In March 2011, Duffy attended a Polk County Republican public town hall-style meeting in his district. In the video, following the passage of a state bill which would have effectively frozen the salaries of state employees, Duffy was asked about whether he would be willing to cut his own $174,000 salary. Duffy responded that he would only be willing to do so as part of a general round of salary cuts for government employees, and insisted that he was "struggling" to get by, despite his salary being nearly three times the average for Wisconsin residents.
On December 22, 2011, Duffy and fellow Republican House freshman Rick Crawford (Arkansas), published an open letter to Speaker John Boehner, urging the leader to allow the House to vote on the Senate's two-month tax cut extension compromise.
In 2013, Duffy and Democratic House member Michael Michaud (Maine) introduced a resolution calling for government action to ensure that people be provided with paper-based information along with electronic.
Duffy was on the Select Investigative Panel on Planned Parenthood.