Republican Matt Neumann decides against run for Congress

MADISON — Republican Matt Neumann will not run for Congress, leaving state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald as the only announced GOP candidate so far for the conservative district covering a large swath of Milwaukee's suburbs.

Neumann told WisPolitics.com in a story published Thursday that he is not going to pursue running in Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District. The seat is open due to the retirement of Republican Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner after serving more than 40 years in the House. Democrat Tom Palzewicz, who lost to Sensenbrenner with 38% of the vote in 2018, is also running.

Neumann, 37, is the son of former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann who served two terms in Congress in the 1990s. The younger Neumann has never run for office and he told WisPolitics.com that he decided against the bid for Congress because of the stress it would put on his young family. He has four children between the ages of 2 and 8.

Neumann said he told Fitzgerald that he would support him in the race. Neumann works in his family's home building business and said he may run for office at some point in the future.