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.”
But he accused the Democrats of turning the comment into campaign trail fodder.
“I’m not going to play the political games because I think my constituents will judge based on my actions as opposed to press releases,” he told the paper.
As the Daily Herald points out, Duffy’s town hall appearances are part of the freshman Rep.’s attempt to “fulfill his campaign pledge to hold annual meetings in each of the 20 counties he represents.”
But “ever-present camera and microphone trained on Duffy and other elected officials has added a new pitfall” for the former reality TV star, the paper reports. Nevertheless, Duffy plans on continuing to get real with the voters in public settings.
“I think people appreciate a face-to-face conversation,” he told the paper, “and I’m not going to be scared away from speaking with people who want to have access to their congressman.”
