Rep. David Obey (WI-07), the powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, will not seek re-election, AP is reporting.

Obey was first elected in a 1969 special election to replace President Nixon's pick for Secretary of Defense, and has generally voted a liberal line since then (he's also generally been elected with about 60-65% of the vote, with dips in 1994 and 1996).  This year he faced an unusually strong challenge from Sean Duffy, a young district attorney from Ashland County and former Real World Boston contestant (he is married to fellow Real World alum Rachel, from the season where Puck made Pedro's life miserable).

RCP added the race as "Leans Democrat" in April, reflecting the increasingly uphill battle the Congressman was facing.    Shortly afterward, the New York Times interviewed the Congressman as part of an article on long-time incumbents facing tough re-election battles, and the 71-year old Obey clearly did not seem to relish the fight ahead.  While it's impossible to read minds, it is difficult to imagine that the tough challenger coupled with the overall political environment did not play a role.

The district is D+3, so Democrats certainly have a good shot at retaining the district, but in a year like this one is shaping up to be, it will not be an easy race by any stretch.  The Wisconsin filing deadline isn't until July, so Democrats will have plenty of time to select a replacement.

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