Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) announced this week he’s leaving his post in Congress to care for his unborn baby and his wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy.
His last day as a U.S. representative will be Sept. 23, according to a report from the Associated Press. Duffy’s decision came after learning his ninth child — due in October — has a heart condition and “will need even more love, time, and attention due to complications.”
In a tweet of his own, Duffy said he is “feeling hopeful and looking forward to what the future holds.”
Fox News anchor Bret Baier shared details of Duffy’s resignation in a Facebook post Monday, sympathizing with the GOP lawmaker’s situation. Baier’s eldest son, Paul, was born with congenital heart failure. Working through a heart condition is “a long road,” he wrote, “but there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
“They are in our thoughts and prayers,” Baier added.
The Fox News host said during an interview last fall with Faithwire that his family “really believes in the power of prayer,” explaining the faithful practice makes him “a better father and a better husband.”
Duffy, a practicing Roman Catholic, said he and his wife came to the decision about his resignation “with much prayer.” He said he needed to step away from public office “to be the support my wife, baby and family need right now.”
During a July interview with National Review, Campos-Duffy said she and her husband have “taken each [child] as a blessing sent to me by God.” She went on to say her current pregnancy “was kind of a surprise.”
Campos-Duffy, a Fox News contributor, said faith plays “a big role” in their household, adding it’s kept her marriage to Duffy “strong and given us a sense of direction and purpose.”
“I think the family is only as strong as the marital unit,” Campos-Duffy explained. “I think that’s been really good for us in terms of sharing the most important and lasting values.”
“We pray together; we go to Mass together,” she continued. “It’s not always perfect by any stretch, but I think we all have a general direction and sense of what’s important in life. And both Sean and I come from families where family is really important.”
Please continue to pray for the Duffy family.