This does come as a bit of a surprise:
State Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, will step down from his seat in the 89th Assembly District effective Wednesday, according to a news release. Nygren has represented the district — which includes portions of Marinette, Oconto and Brown counties — since 2006 and served four terms as co-chair on the powerful Joint Committee on Finance.
Nygren intends to pursue a career in the private sector.
Per state law, Gov. Tony Evers will call a special election to fill the vacant seat.
So I can almost hear the scuttling in Brown County as potential candidates start to put together their ‘exploratory committees’.
I don’t know if I am alone in thinking that John Nygren already had a defined plan during to the entire run-up to Nov 3, to leave the legislature and resign his seat immediately upon certification of the vote.
His constituents who just re-elected him to serve them, I’m sure will be grateful for not having been informed of that likely plan, prior to Nygren’s campaign for re-election.
The money they may have donated to his campaign and their personal time spent organizing and door knocking for him, risking their health during this pandemic to have to go vote again this winter, I’m sure will be forgiven for all he has done for these supporters over his legislative career, perhaps anyway, after the knife wounds in their backs have time to heal.
I can’t imagine that he didn’t have something in the works while campaigning. otoh he hasn’t said what his actual plans are so there may be something else going on and his statement is the new version of wanting to spend more time with his family.
Thanks Ed, It will be interesting to see where he is headed in the private sector for sure.
I don’t know the current rules governing remaining campaign funds, but he has just under $180K remaining, updated as of Nov 17.
I still think it is fair to ask if continuing through the election was simply to quash any possibility of his D challenger’s possible success, and to replenish the campaign donation coffers for I suppose, the already determined GOP candidate waiting in wings. Politics as usual?
I won’t be changing my opinion that what has transpired here with Nygren’s actions is disingenuous at best or a deliberately fraudulent representation of his intentions to those who voted for him, donated to him or otherwise worked for his re-election.