In what may be one of the closest congressional races in Wisconsin in November, Republican freshman Sean Duffy launched his re-election campaign Thursday.

Political campaigns can be dangerous work, especially at the Graymont Limestone plant on Superior’s waterfront: “For this particular leg, we’re just going to be doing hard hats and safety glasses. You won’t need a ‘high viz’ vest, you won’t need steel-toed shoes as long as you stay on the route and stay with your guide.”

Before a dozen hard-hatted employees and a handful of Republican Party faithful, flanked by his wife Rachel and their six small hard-hat wearing children, Sean Duffy keyed in on the economy: “This has been the longest and the lamest recovery since World War II. And that lack of recovery is inflicting a great deal of pain on our American small businesses. We see new rules and regulations and red tape that are coming out making it more difficult and expensive for our small businesses to expand and grow.”

His Democratic opponent is former state Sen. Pat Kreitlow of Chippewa Falls. Kreitlow agrees the economic recovery is slow, and will use that against Duffy, “There are those who are very dissatisfied that Congress had done nothing on helping to foster job creation or tax reform or rein in wasteful spending. Just last week, the House could have gone along with a middle class tax cut, but instead voted to actually increases taxes on 25 million Americans in order to protect every penny of tax breaks for millionaires.”