Almanac Home Browse By State Browse By Name State of Wisconsin Gov. Thompson (R) Sen. Kohl (D) Sen. Feingold (D) Rep. Neumann (R-01) Rep. Klug (R-02) Rep. Kind (D-03) Rep. Kleczka (D-04) Rep. Barrett (D-05) Rep. Petri (R-06) Rep. Obey (D-07) Rep. Johnson (D-08) Rep. Sensenbrenner (R-09)

Russ Feingold was first elected in 1992 at age 39 after a riproaring and sometimes amusing campaign. Feingold wanted to be a senator when he was growing up in Janesville. He nurtured his ambition at the University of Wisconsin, as a Rhodes Scholar, and at Harvard Law School; he moved to Middleton, a not-so-academic suburb of Madison, and beat an incumbent state senator in 1982, at 29. Feingold has a flair for publicity, and for political reform issues and novel arguments. His great goal in the legislature was to ban bovine growth hormone, a luddite measure aimed at keeping in business Wisconsin's numerous and overly subsidized dairy farmers (their problem is that Americans drink less milk today than in the 1950s). Feingold also opposed Governor Tommy Thompson's welfare reforms and tax cuts and opposed capital punishment. Feingold's goal for 1992 was the Senate seat held by Bob Kasten, a free-market conservative who pushed tort reform and capital gains tax cuts, and had won by narrow margins in 1980 and 1986. In the Democratic primary, while Milwaukee businessman Joseph Checota and Congressman Jim Moody battered each other with negative ads, Feingold ran clever, humorous spots: one showing Elvis, alive and endorsing Feingold; another showing Feingold at home, opening up a closet and saying, "No skeletons"; another showing his three key pledges written out on his garage door. He also had detailed position papers, including an 82-point plan for reducing the deficit. Near primary day, Checota apologized for his ads and asked voters to vote for Feingold if they didn't vote for him. Feingold, already ahead in polls, zoomed to an astonishing 70% win in this three-way primary. Feingold also bounced way ahead of Kasten, who ran his own Elvis ads attacking Feingold on issues; Feingold attacked Kasten's negativity and avoided engaging on specifics. The race narrowed, but Feingold won 53%-46%.

In the Senate, Feingold made a very liberal record on cultural and foreign issues, more moderate on economics. He pushed through a moratorium and study on bovine growth hormone, worked to dispatch the wool and mohair subsidy and forced a consolidation of government overseas broadcasting. He attacked spending virtually wherever he could find it: the Pentagon's medical school, helium subsidies and the Supercollider; he moved to eliminate the Extremely Low Frequency radio system -- "a cold war relic" in his words -- embedded in northern Wisconsin. He attacked the national milk-marketing system as anti-Midwest and opposed the Northeast Dairy Compact, though it got through on conference committee, and he has been monitoring the National Cheese Exchange. He worked against the CVN-76 aircraft carrier, western water subsidies, TVA overheads and tax breaks for asbestos, lead, mercury and uranium mining. He was one of the crusaders against lobbyists' gifts to lawmakers. His most widely publicized reform has been the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, which would attempt to hold down campaign spending and contributions; it was debated on the Senate floor in July 1996, and filibustered; Feingold and Arizona's John McCain appeared at rallies backing it in March 1997, but Republicans like Mitch McConnell seemed determined to keep it off the floor. Feingold called for an independent counsel on Clinton fundraising scandals in February 1997.

Feingold comes up with original and interesting positions and votes. He worked to link military sales to Indonesia to human rights progress in East Timor, and opposes MFN status for China. He opposed the Communications Decency Act and with Michigan's Spencer Abraham opposed the cumbersome worker verification provisions of the immigration bill. He wants to prohibit Members of Congress from using frequent flyer miles earned on business trips and to establish a long-term healthcare program like Wisconsins' Community Options. He worked to deauthorize the La Farge Dam and return the land to the state for the Kickapoo Valley Reserve.

Feingold comes up for reelection in 1998. Despite his visits each year to each of Wisconsin's 72 counties, his poll ratings have been unspectacular. But he works hard and is skillful at framing issues. One almost certain opponent is 1st District Congressman Mark Neumann, former homebuilder and strong conservative. Neumann urged Feingold to vote for the "partial-birth" abortion ban in May 1997, to no avail, which led Neumann to encourage a recall effort, sponsored by the Milwaukee-based First Breath Alliance, that failed by just 50,000 signatures. Another opponent will be state Senator Alberta Martin, who will attempt to become the first woman ever elected to Congress from Wisconsin.

Update: October 1998
Neither Feingold nor Neumann faced primary opposition in September. Independent polls give Feingold a double-digit lead, but Republicans consider him to be vulnerable.

This contest has drawn national attention due to a remarkable agreement between Feingold and Neumann to limit their campaign spending. Both have promised to limit donations from political action groups to 10% of their total money raised, limit out-of-state individual contributions to less than 25% of total individual donations, impose a $2,000 personal spending limit, and limit overall spending to $1 per registered voter. Feingold has promised to spend no more than $3.8 million on the race; Neumann no more than $4.7 million.

But both candidates' campaigns have been aided by interest groups. In August, Neumann began airing ads paid for by money raised from the Christian Coalition. Meanwhile, the Sierra Club began airing commercials criticizing Neumann's environmental record, asserting that a wetlands bill he sponsored in the House would lead to more flooding.

More information on the Wisconsin Senate race is available here. Cloakroom's Poll Track features various surveys on this race.

Sen. Russell D. Feingold (D)

Elected 1992, seat up 1998; b. Mar. 2, 1953, Janesville; home, Middleton; U. of WI, B.A. 1975, Rhodes Scholar, Oxford U., 1977, Harvard Law Schl., J.D. 1979; Jewish; married (Mary).

Career: Practicing atty., 1979-83; WI Senate, 1982-92;

DC Office: 716 HSOB 20510, 202-224-5323; Fax: 202-224-2725; e-mail: senator@feingold.senate.gov.

State Offices: Green Bay, 414-465-7508; LaCrosse, 608-782-5585; Middleton, 608-828-1200; Milwaukee, 414-276-7282; Wausau, 715-848-5660.

Committees: Budget (8th of 10 D). Foreign Relations (6th of 8 D): African Affairs (RMM); East Asian & Pacific Affairs. Judiciary (6th of 8 D): Administrative Oversight & the Courts; Constitution, Federalism & Property Rights (RMM). Aging (Special) (5th of 8 D).

Group Ratings
	ADA	ACLU	AFS	LCV	CFA	CON	NFIB	COC	ACU	NTLC	CHC
1996	95	82	86	100	93	27	38	31	10	14	0
1995	100	--	100	100	94	68	--	42	13	--	--

National Journal Ratings
	1995 LIB	--	1995 CONS		1996 LIB	--	1996 CONS
Economic	71%	--	27%		74%	--	19%
Social	93%	--	0%		92%	--	0%
Foreign	79%	--	15%		89%	--	7%

Key Votes of the 104th Congress
1. Reduce Medicare Growth $ N 2. Lmt. Prod. Liab. Damages N 3. Increase Min. Wage Y 4. Welfare Reform Y 5. Flag Amendment N 6. Endangered Species Y		7. Gay Employment Rights Y 8. Ovrd. Part. Birth Veto N 9. Anti-Missile Defense N 10. Cuban Embargo N 11. Bar Bosnia Troop $ Y 12. Cut Vietnam Aid Y

Election Results
1992 gen.	Russell D. Feingold (D)	1,290,662	(53%)	($2,056,079)
	Robert W. Kasten, Jr. (R)	1,129,599	(46%)	($5,427,163)
1992 prim.	Russell D. Feingold (D)	367,746	(70%)
	Jim Moody (D)	74,472	(14%)
	Joseph Checota (D)	71,570	(13%)
	Other	14,056	(3%)
1986 gen.	Robert W. Kasten, Jr. (R)	1,754,537	(51%)	($3,433,870)
	Edward Garvey (D)	1,702,963	(47%)	($1,702,963)

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