Left out of that middle location is the 444 days Hermening spent in captivity, held by Iranian revolutionaries. The then-20-year-old Hermening was among 66 Americans initially taken hostage on November 4, 1979. Some were released in the Iranian hostage crisis’s early months, and Hermening departed Tehran in a group of 52 on January 20, 1981—just minutes after President Ronald Reagan took the oath of office.
Now, Hermening may seek to add a different sort of title to a notable career: congressman. He is considering seeking the all-important Republican nomination in Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, which covers the Badger State’s sprawling northwest quadrant.
After returning to Wisconsin as the youngest of the 52 Iranian hostages, Hermening served in the Marine Corps Reserve from July 1987 to July 1994. By that time, he was well into a career as a financial adviser. Today, he runs Hermening Financial Group, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services.
Hermening is also a former chairman of the Republican Party in Marathon County, which has a population of nearly 140,000—making for a possibly strong political base.
Hermening recently told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Lawrence Andrea that he’s looking at the congressional seat, which is coming open as Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) makes a gubernatorial bid. “I’ve had a number of people reach out to me, and I’ve been talking to some folks about the possibility,” Hermening said on October 13. He did not respond to requests for comment from the Washington Examiner by email or phone at his business or through the Marathon County GOP office.
### Unique View on Iran Legislation
The Iranian hostage crisis contributed heavily to President Jimmy Carter’s rising unpopularity, paving the way for Reagan’s landslide win over the Democratic incumbent. The international calamity also shattered U.S.-Iran relations—a rift that lingers to this day.
Recently, President Donald Trump ordered strikes by the Air Force and Navy on three nuclear facilities in Iran on June 22, following several days of attacks by Israel in response to missile strikes against the Jewish state.
Nearly a half-century ago, Hermening had only recently arrived at his Tehran posting when Iranian leader Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi went into exile as protests escalated. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, long ensconced in France, returned from exile in Paris to seize power and declare a fundamentalist Shiite Islamic regime.
Since his release from captivity, Hermening has given many talks about his experience, though he has long emphasized that he doesn’t choose to define his life by what happened to him. Rather, he consistently points to an ancillary event as a cautionary tale about the need for proper military planning and preparedness.
One event not directly affecting the hostage group but that “happened 200 miles away from the embassy where they were initially held in Tehran” was the most significant of the 444-day period: the failed rescue mission Operation Eagle Claw, according to a November 4, 2019, report by WSAW-TV, based in Wausau, Wisconsin.
“Sandstorms and mechanical failures meant only five of the eight helicopters in the special ops rescue mission arrived operational at the first staging area, Desert One in Iran. That was when leadership on the ground asked President Jimmy Carter to abort the mission, a decision he approved. One of the helicopters crashed while the operation prepared to withdraw, killing three Marines and five Airmen.”
### A Unique Perspective for Congress
Should Hermening run for the House and be elected, he would bring a unique perspective to congressional debates concerning Iran policy. Legislative efforts have largely focused on increasing sanctions, debating the president’s war powers, and responding to diplomatic and military events in the Middle East.
A major flashpoint occurred in mid-2025 following failed nuclear talks between the Trump administration and Iran, which resulted in a direct military conflict between Iran and Israel and retaliatory strikes by the U.S.
Not that Hermening would necessarily have a clear path to the House seat. The field is still forming, but several Republican state legislators—both current and former—are considering jumping in.
### The Political Landscape of Wisconsin’s 7th District
The GOP primary is tantamount to winning the general election in November for this district, which is composed of 21 counties stretching more than 200 miles from Lake Superior in the north to part of Monroe County, next to La Crosse.
In 2024, 7th Congressional District voters backed Trump over Democratic rival Kamala Harris 61% to 38%. Hermening’s home county, Marathon, has supported Trump by double digits in all three of his presidential bids.
Foreign affairs wouldn’t normally play a big role in a contested Republican primary for the congressional seat. But considering Hermening’s Iran hostage ordeal 45 years ago, he carries a certain moral authority to discuss Middle East geopolitics.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/premium/3856956/ex-iranian-hostage-crisis-captive-kevin-hermening-eyes-house-seat-bid/