Rep. Adam Jarchow not seeking re-election after loss in state Senate run

MADISON - Following a loss in a special election for the state Senate, a northwestern Wisconsin lawmaker said he won't seek re-election.

Rep. Adam Jarchow (R-Balsam Lake) said he was stepping down after two terms in the Assembly and a loss in January to now Sen. Patty Schachtner (D-Somerset) in a special election in the 10th Senate District.

"Politicians, like diapers, should be changed often and for the same reason. I have decided not to run for re-election," Jarchow tweeted Thursday.

If the GOP lawmaker had won his race against Schachtner, the chief medical examiner for St. Croix County, he would have been serving a four-year term. Instead he'll leave office in January 2019.

Jarchow's decision may not be a prelude to other Republicans stepping down: He has children at home, a complicated path to higher office and, as an attorney, other options to earn a living.

But at 39, Jarchow also was young enough that he could have sought to continue his political career.

So far, there haven't been many retirements announced at the Wisconsin Capitol the way there have been among some prominent Republicans in Congress. But often these decisions don't get announced until later in the spring.

When incumbents decide not to run, that can make it harder for a political party to win campaigns, especially in a difficult election year. Jarchow's seat has a GOP tilt — John McCain beat Barack Obama there in 2008, for instance.

But the 28th Assembly District might be competitive if a Democratic wave materializes.

For his part, Jarchow served as a conservative, working on bills in the Legislature to prioritize the rights of property owners and builders over environmental regulations and local governments.

He voted against Gov. Scott Walker's budget last year and also voted against providing billions in state subsidies to Foxconn Technology Group to build a flat screen factory in Taiwan.