(The Center Square) – Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, announced Thursday he won’t seek reelection in the fall.
Vos said he had a mild heart attack in mid-November and that doctors said he would be fine but “I do need to reduce my stress.”
Vos has been the assembly speaker since 2013 after first being elected in 2004. He was the Assembly Chair for the Joint Finance Committee before being elected speaker.
Vos made the announcement to begin Thursday’s Assembly floor session, which started nearly three hours after its scheduled time of 11 a.m., after session lasted until nearly midnight on Wednesday.
“The decision wasn’t easy,” Vos said, noting he had been thinking about it for a long time.
He joins Gov. Tony Evers in not seeking reelection in the fall.
“The Speaker’s retirement marks the end of an era in Wisconsin politics, and I’m grateful to have served as governor during Speaker Vos’ tenure,” Evers said in a statement. “Although we’ve disagreed more often than we didn’t, I respect his candor, his ability to navigate complex policies and conversations, and his unrivaled passion for politics.”
Vos said that he believes that the Legislature worked properly under his guidance, which was sometimes slower than others wanted it to work.
“What kept me grounded was the reminder that the gavel belongs to the institution, not an individual person,” Vos said. “Strong institutions matter and I believe I am leaving this institution stronger and ready to endure the road ahead. I have confidence in Wisconsin’s future and in those who will work to carry this work forward.”
