State Senator Richard Gudex dies of self-inflicted gunshot wound

State Sen. Rick Gudex, R-Fond du Lac, was pronounced dead early Wednesday morning due to a self-inflicted gunshot. The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office investigation is still ongoing, however foul play is not suspected to be involved.

Gudex, 48, was elected for the seat in 2012 and had served since 2015 as president pro tempore. He was not seeking re-election in the upcoming election, instead optingto return to his job in the private sector. Given the proximity to the next election, Gov. Scott Walker’s spokesman Tom Evenson said Walker will not order a special election to fill Gudex’s position.

Walker released a statement this morning expressing his condolences.

“Rick was a good man who served his community and state well, and he will be missed,” Walker said in the statement. “Our hearts and our prayers go out to his wife Kim and their two children during this difficult time.”

Democrats and Republicans alike mourned the loss of the senator.

“Despite our being on opposite sides of the political spectrum, Rick was always civil to work with and a decent man,” said state Rep. Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, in a statement. “We were able to work together well on many issues that benefitted our communities and state.”

Although the senator represented one of the most competitive senate districts in the state, Tim Lakin, Gudex's Senate chief of staff, claimed “he was always willing to listen to both sides of the story.”

“He was always fair...He was a true public servant,” Lakin told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

While in the Senate, he served as the chairman of the Economic Development & Commerce Committee, the vice chairman of the Workforce Development Committee and was a board member of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation

The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office said they will announce more information on the death in the coming days.