By Nick LaFave & Harry Baker, FOX 21 News

HAYWARD - Sean Duffy, the Ashland County DA and former reality TV star, is vying for the republican nomination in Wisconsin's seventh district.

"Today, I am announcing my candidacy for the U.U. House of Representatives."

37-year old Sean Duffy makes his announcement in his boyhood home of Hayward, where he first made a name as a lumberjack.

"I learned how to climb on these speed climbing trees here.  I won my first world title on these trees.  And, I almost killed myself a couple times."

"Sean represents a new generation of leaders," says Superior Mayor Dave Ross.

Duffy will look to his example of how a republican can get elected in a traditionally democratic area.

"When they see true conservatism practiced: fiscal responsibility, individual liberty, they will vote for it," says Ross.

Ashland County's district attorney for the last seven years, Duffy blasts incumbent Dave Obey - chair of the house appropriations committee - for his part in the 700 billion dollar stimulus package.

"That's right," says Duffy to his crowd of supporters.  "Our congressman, Dave Obey is the proud author of that pork-filled stimulus legislation."

In his last four re-elections, Dave Obey's margin of victory over his nearest republican opened ranged between 20 and 75 percent.  But, Duffy says those numbers do not concern him.

"When people go to the voting booth, they don't know who the challenger is to Dave Obey... So, without a lot of choice, I think they go for Dave Obey," says Duffy.

Should he win the primary, name recognition will likely not be a problem for Duffy.  He's a veteran of MTV's "Real World," as is his wife, Rachel.  But, the father of five doesn't think voters care about a reality show from shows 12 years ago.  He says they care about their realities now.

"Which is what's happened to their nest egg, how secure is their job, what future are their children going to have in America 10, 20, 30 years from now," says Duffy.

Also running for ther republican nomination is Dan Mielke... the man who lost to Obey in 2008.