Sean Duffy -- husband of ParentDish columnist Rachel Campos-Duffy -- has announced his intention to run for office in Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District. Duffy, 37, was appointed Ashland County District Attorney in 2002. He and Rachel, also 37, have five children -- Evita, 9, Jack, 7, Lucía-Belén, 5, John-Paul, 3, and Paloma, 1.

Rachel Campos-Duffy spoke to ParentDish about her husband's decision to run for public office, and about what it will mean to their family and their children. "This is a real education for [the kids]," she says. In fact, she tells us, concerns about their children's future were a driving force in her husband's decision to run for office. "The feeling that all this debt is going to get passed on to our kids is the reason he got involved. It isn't fair to our kids to borrow this money and leave it for [them] to pay back," she says.

But while a commitment to his children are a focal point of Duffy's campaign, Rachel says that the decision to run was "very complicated" specifically because of their concerns about the kids. Their children, she says, were "both the reason why he got in and the reason that gave us the most pause." The Duffys are trying to make campaigning a family affair as much as possible, for several reasons. Rachel says that her older chidren are intrested in politics and are excited about their father running for office, and she is aware that this is a unique opportunity for them. She is also aware that the work of campaigning for public office will take Sean Duffy away from his family a great deal, and she wants them to have every opportunity to be together, even if that time is in the car on the way to an event.

And at least for now, though, the kids are loving it. "The idea of a parade or a dairy breakfast or any event seems fun to them," she says. Then she adds, laughing, "They may hate it at the end but right now it seems appealing."

Of her husband and his choice to run for office, Rachel says, "I am really proud of him. I think he's really stepping outside of himself. He's a very humble person; he's not taking this lightly. He is confident in himself but he understands what he's taking on." We look forward to hearing more about the Duffy family's journey in Rachel's View from the Home Front columns -- and for more information about Sean Duffy's Congressional campaign, you can visit his web site.