Russ Feingold

A potential recall campaign against Wisconsin governor Scott Walker looks much more hopeless this morning. WisPolitics.com reports:

Former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold announced this morning he will not be a candidate in 2012, telling supporters he will instead focus on teaching, writing a book and leading his Progressives United PAC. [...]

Jay Cost argues convincingly that “No serious Democratic official would dare challenge Obama for the nomination.” But Ralph Nader says that “I would guess that the chances of there being a challenge to Obama in the primary are almost 100 percent.” Nader says that challenger could be “an ex-senator or an ex-governor” or “an intellectual leader or an environmental leader.”

Readers of a certain age will remember Margaret Chase Smith (1897-1995), the Republican senator from Maine who enjoyed a certain renown in her day as the first woman whose name was entered into the nomination process for president by a major party (1964), and for her daily habit of wearing a fresh rose in the buttonhole of her business suit. Senator Smith had another distinction: She was an early Republican critic of Joseph McCarthy, and in June 1950 issued a “Declaration of Conscience” against his growing influence on the Senate floor.

Wisconsin's junior Democratic senator Russ Feingold is out with a new ad attacking his Republican opponent Ron Johnson for keeping "privatization" of Social Security for "some" voters on the table. Feingold's position? In the ad, he literally takes everything off the table and promises not to "turn any part of Social Security over to Wall Street."

Senator Russ Feingold, a leading voice for tight regulations on campaigns and elections, has been contacted by the National Football League today for using NFL footage without permission for a new campaign ad.

The leading liberal from Wisconsin, Sen. Russ Feingold, can't seem to accept the reality that the political climate continues to change in Wisconsin.

With 49 days until the midterm elections, Wisconsin looks increasingly like it will be among the most intensely contested states – between primaries there Tuesday and the November 2 general election.

Charlie Cook writes at the Cook Political Report (subscription required):

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

Rasmussen continues to show a tight Senate race in Wisconsin:

Democratic incumbent Russ Feingold and his chief Republican challenger Ron Johnson remain locked in a neck-and-neck battle for the U.S. Senate in Wisconsin.

Public Policy Polling reports:

A new Rasmussen poll out today shows Republican Senate candidate Ron Johnson trailing Senator Russ Feingold 44% to 46% in Wisconsin. It just so happens that Johnson, an Ayn Rand-loving pro-life Lutheran businessman from Oshkosh, is the topic of George Will's column in today's Washington Post: