Van Hollen won’t seek re-election

Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says he will not run for re-election. (File photo by Kevin Harnack)

Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen will not run for a third term in office.

Van Hollen, a Republican who was first elected in 2006 after defeating Democrat Kathleen Falk, said Monday he will finish out his term, which will end next year, according to a news release.

“The decision not to run will allow me to focus exclusively on … tasks without the distractions of a campaign,” the attorney general wrote in the release. “I believe no person should be attorney general for life, or for too long. Our democracy requires a balance of experience and fresh views.”

Van Hollen’s tenure includes eliminating the DNA testing backlog at the Crime Laboratory Bureau and restricting money for victim services, according to the release.

“We have put the law and the rule of law above politics, thus eliminating the all-too-common attorney general activism that grows government and contributes to political discord and dysfunction,” according to the release.

Prior to taking office as attorney general, Van Hollen served as the U.S. attorney in the Western District of Wisconsin.