A lightning-fast election in the dead of winter will be held to replace U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy in the 7th Congressional District.

As Duffy's resignation took effect Monday afternoon, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers set the special election for Jan. 27.

Party primaries, if needed, will be held Dec. 30. Both dates fall on a Monday, instead of the traditional Tuesday.

Evers said he was trying to have as speedy an election as possible while Republicans cried foul, claiming he was trying to dampen GOP voter turnout in a district that went heavily for President Donald Trump in 2016.

“Our rural communities have been directly affected by unproductive trade wars, political attacks on health care and public education, and economic uncertainty because of the volatility we’re seeing in Washington, D.C.,” Evers said in a statement.

"The people of Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District deserve to have a voice in Congress, which is why I am calling for a special election to occur quickly to ensure the people of the 7th Congressional District have representation as soon as possible. I thank Rep. Duffy for his service and wish him and his family all the best," Evers added.

Mark Jefferson, executive director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said Evers "called for a special election on a Monday over the holidays in order to shield his party from rural voters during the spring election."

That April election will feature not only presidential primaries but a state Supreme Court race.

Jefferson added that Evers "knows the problems that come with holding an election in 26 counties during the holidays, but he doesn’t care. Clerks are already burdened by existing end-of-year priorities such as budgets and property taxes, along with reviewing nomination papers for local offices. This desperate move shows just how terrified Democrats are of rural Wisconsin voters, their level of hypocrisy and the lengths they’ll go to benefit their own party."

Last month, Duffy said he was leaving Congress to spend time with his growing family. He and his wife, Rachel Campos Duffy, are expecting their ninth child. Their unborn daughter has a heart defect and will need surgery following her birth.

State Sen. Tom Tiffany is the only announced Republican in the race.

"The people of northern and western Wisconsin deserve Wisconsin-style reforms in Washington," Tiffany said in a statement Monday. "They won’t accept the status quo and neither will I.”

Other Republicans considering a run include Jason Church, an Afghan war veteran and an aide to Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, and Wausau thoracic surgeon Fernando "Fritz" Riveron.

According to Journal Sentinel columnist Daniel Bice, Church is "all but announced" for the race and has tentatively hired Justin Johnson as a general campaign consultant. Johnson had been the main consultant for Justice Dan Kelly's campaign for state Supreme Court.

Democrats looking at a run include state Sen. Jan Bewley, state Rep. Nick Milroy, former state Sen. Pat Kreitlow and attorney Christine Bremer Muggli.

During his farewell speech last week, Duffy thanked his constituents for giving him an opportunity to represent them in Congress.

"I don't think our Founders ever envisioned that coming to this chamber should be a lifetime sentence," he said. "We're supposed to come and be citizen-legislators."

He said the 7th Congressional District isn't his seat, nor his predecessor's, but the people's seat.

He said there may be bickering and fighting in Congress but that "people get along a lot better across the aisle than might meet the aisle on some of the major news networks."