Sean Duffy, the new transportation secretary, faces his first major crisis just hours after his swearing-in. Duffy, who was confirmed by the Senate Tuesday, quickly emerged as the public face of the federal government's response to the deadly plane crash at Reagan National Airport, the closest airport to Washington, D.C. An Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members Wednesday night while the plane was landing, sending it careening into the frigid Potomac River. All onboard are feared dead in what is shaping up to be the deadliest U.S. air crash in decades.
Here are some things to know about Duffy:. He's a former reality TV star, lumberjack and congressman from Wisconsin. A former Republican congressman from Wisconsin, Duffy's résumé includes stints as a lumberjack athlete, reality TV star, prosecutor and Fox News host.
He was featured on MTV’s “The Real World: Boston” in 1997 and met his his wife, “Fox & Friends Weekend" co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy, on the set of MTV’s “Road Rules: All Stars” in 1998. Duffy later worked as a special prosecutor and the district attorney of Ashland County in northern Wisconsin. He won election to Congress as part of the tea party wave in 2010.
An underdog who served nine years. When he first ran for Congress, Duffy was considered an underdog. But he attracted national attention with his campaign ads, which featured him dramatically chopping wood while donning a red flannel shirt. He told voters he came from a “long line of lumberjacks” and would bring his axe to Washington.
