Russ Feingold For Senate In 2016?

[silvershadow]

Former Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold last week left the door open to challenging the Republican who defeated him, teasing Democrats that he may run in 2016.

Feingold spoke to party faithful on Friday at the state Democratic convention in Oconomowoc, Wis.

"I don't come to you tonight as a candidate, at least not in 2013 or 2014, or 2015," said Feingold in a comment met by cheers from the audience.

Feingold lost his seat in 2010, when Republicans swept the midterm elections. He was beaten by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who will be up for reelection in 2016. Feingold's comments at the convention, however, ruled out a run against Gov. Scott Walker (R) in 2014. Washington Post blogger Jennifer Rubin wrote on Monday that Feingold would be a good choice for Democrats for president in 2016.
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more at link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/10/russ-feingold-2016_n_3417727.html

[silvershadow]

1. I should have added that he would be a welcome candidate in my book. nt

[Marie Marie]

2. Great news. We need him back in the Senate.

[cascadiance]

3. That or president... Feingold/Warren or Warren/Feingold 2016!

[midnight]

18. We need him in Wisconsin, but I like this too...

[BlueStater]

4. Governor or senator.

Either one would be great.

[Lifelong Protester]

5. I would vote for him in a heartbeat.

RoJo is the biggest embarrassment as a senator (and that coming from a state that gave you Joe McCarthy!)

[Major Hogwash]

6. I hope he runs again.

But, next time, he is going to have to accept the reality of having to accept some money in order to campaign against the GOP machine.
The Constitution requires that in order for our country to succeed, we need Senators of Feingold's caliber serving the people.

[Parable Arable]

7. Feingold has been missed...

I'll gladly support him for whatever position he runs for. If he isn't interested in the senate seat, then I sure as hell hope he has some interest in running for a congressional seat.

[milwaukeelib33]

8. In Russ I trust

as POTUS!

[Scuba]

9. He's got my vote.

[MillennialDem]

10. Yes he would make a great returning senator (or potus or vpotus)

I really wish he'd run against Walker and get him out of the governor's chair (Feingold consistently beats him in hypothetical polls), but I think he liked his old job in Senate.

And I think it would be an easy race for him. 2016 is a presidential/high turn out year and RoJo is a lot more unpopular than Walker. Unfortunately.

[KennedyBrothers]

11. Feingold would get my vote for sure...

...if I lived in Wisconsin.

[Myrina]

12. I would love him (literally) in any office but ...

.... I'd prefer he ran for Governor of WI and got Snot Walker and the Koch-heads the hell out of my beloved state.

Then maybe I could move back and people would stop asking me who "the Russ Feingold on your bumper sticker" is.

[davidpdx]

13. It would be great if he ran and there was a rematch between him and Johnson

It would be even better if Feingold kicked his ass.

[SidDithers]

14. DU rec...

Would be good to have him back in Washington.

Sid

[Rosa Luxemburg]

15. I will support him! The only Senator to vote against the Patriot Act on the 1st vote

Yep

[silvershadow]

16. Very good point! :)

[fujiyama]

17. A badly missed presence in the Senate

during a time when the debate on civil liberties in this country is so crucial. He was the only Senator to vote against the Patriot Act, back when such an act was considered political suicide. He won though in '04, by a healthy margin. It's still incredible that he could lose in '10, that too to such a scum bag as Johnson.

I honestly don't know why he'd want to be back in the Senate though - especially as a man of integrity and decency. I don't know how he could stand being around so many douchebags.

[Myrina]

19. New tidbit:

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/viewart/20130618/GPG0101/306180227/Kerry-reportedly-picks-Feingold-Africa-post

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State John Kerry has chosen Russ Feingold, a former Democratic senator from Wisconsin, as the new U.S. special envoy for Africa’s Great Lakes region, two officials say.

A U.S. official and a congressional aide say Kerry will announce Tuesday that Feingold will assume the post focused, in part, on resolving turmoil in the Congo. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the information on the record before Kerry’s announcement,



Hmmmm ......

[silvershadow]

20. Hmmm indeed. Maybe a return to the Senate isn't what he is planning on? nt

[CobaltBlue]

21. President + Senate = Same Party

Noteworthy: Since 1976, every presidential year in which Wisconsin also had a U.S. Senate race ended up carrying for the same party at both levels. So, incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson better hope for a Republican pickup of the White House and the state of Wisconsin at the presidential level come 2016.

Here is the pattern (covering, in fact, the last 10 presidential election cycles):


1976
President: Jimmy Carter, Democratic pickup (and unseated incumbent Republican president Gerald Ford)
Senate: William Proxmire, incumbent Democrat

1980
President: Ronald Reagan, Republican pickup (unseated incumbent Democratic president Jimmy Carter)
Senate: Bob Kasten, Republican pickup (unseated incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson)

1984
President: Ronald Reagan, Republican hold (re-elected)
Senate: no scheduled race

1988
President: Michael Dukakis, Democratic pickup
Senate: Herb Kohl, Democratic hold (won open seat that was being vacated, due to retirement, of incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. William Proxmire)

1992
President: Bill Clinton, Democratic hold (unseated incumbent Republican president George Bush)
Senate: Russ Feingold, Democratic pickup (unseated incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Bob Kasten)

1996
President: Bill Clinton, Democratic hold (re-elected)
Senate: no scheduled race

2000
President: Al Gore, Democratic hold (in a non-incumbent election year in which his incumbent party lost the White House)
Senate: Herb Kohl, Democratic hold (re-elected)

2004
President: John Kerry, Democratic hold
Senate: Russ Feingold, Democratic hold (re-elected)

2008
President: Barack Obama, Democratic hold (won presidency, in non-incumbent year, and flipped the White House party from 2004 Republican to 2008 Democratic)
Senate: no scheduled race

2012
President: Barack Obama, Democratic hold (re-elected)
Senate: Tammy Baldwin, Democratic hold (won open race of seat that was being vacated, due to retirement, of incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl)

[karynnj]

22. Interesting - he just agreed to work for the Dtate Department

in Africa - an area where he was the Senate expert. I assume that that is what he would be doing until 2016. That would mean that he would not be campaigning.

I assume that - as good as he would be as Senator, this is a better job for him. For one, it does not require fund raising. The other is that because he left, he starts as a Senator with no seniority. Had he won, he would have been in line to replace Kerry as SFRC chair - as a junior Senator he would chair at most a sub committee. (see Lautenberg (D, NJ) )

If a Democrat wins in 2016, it is possible that Feingold could be in the cabinet or at least a senior adviser.