U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and his predecessor, former Sen. Russ Feingold, appear to be on a collision course for a rematch in 2016, in a race sure to attract national attention…and money.
Johnson, a Republican, rose to prominence at a Wisconsin Tea Party rally and then defeated Feingold in the conservative wave of a mid-term election in 2010. However, the 2016 election will be held in the midst of a presidential election, which has traditionally produced a larger and more liberal electorate and turnout.
Feingold, a Democrat, has been serving in the U.S. State Department.
On his Facebook page, Feingold recently wrote, “After I leave the State Department this week, I will spend portions of 2015 teaching international relations and law at Stanford University. For most of the rest of this year, I will be living at my home in Middleton, Wisconsin, from where I will travel the state extensively. I will listen carefully to my fellow Wisconsinites talk about their concerns, especially those involving their economic well-being. I will also seek their counsel on how I can best further serve my country and the state I love.”
Joe Fadness, executive director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said, “Russ Feingold is the consummate political insider, with 20 years spent in Washington backrooms pushing policies that increased the size of government and hurt hard-working families. His decision to spend time at an elite university in California highlights his skewed priorities and further cements how detached Feingold is from Main Street, Wisconsin.”
