Fond du Lac legislator Thiesfeldt won’t seek reelection

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Republican lawmaker from Fond du Lac won’t seek reelection next year after a decade in the Legislature.

Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt announced in a news release Thursday that he won’t run in 2022. He didn’t offer any specific reason beyond saying that serving in an elected office shouldn’t be a long-term appointment and he has wanted to return to teaching when the time was right.

Thiesfeldt is a former teacher and former member of the Fond du Lac City Council. He was first elected to the state Assembly in 2010.

Thiesfeldt’s announcement comes a day after Democratic state Sen. Jon Erpenbach of West Point announced he won’t run in 2022. Erpenbach, a member of the Legislature’s powerful finance committee, has served in the Senate since 1999.

Republican Reps. Amy Loudenbeck, Samantha Kerkman and Gary Tauchen also have announced they won’t run next year. Loudenbeck is giving up her seat to run for secretary of state. Kerkman is running for Kenosha County executive. Tauchen is retiring.