WI-SEN

Democrat Tammy Baldwin Declares Senate Run In Wisconsin (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | September 6, 2011, 9:59AM

Senate campaign announcement by Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

The first big Democratic name has entered the open Senate race in Wisconsin, with Rep. Tammy Baldwin declaring her candidacy Tuesday to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Herb Kohl in this high-profile swing state.

Baldwin announced her candidacy, which has been much expected since Kohl announced his retirement in May, with a YouTube video posted Tuesday morning.

Baldwin was first elected to the House in 1998, after serving in the state Assembly, and became the first openly gay candidate elected to Congress as a non-incumbent -- and if elected to the Senate, she would become the first openly gay senator at all. After an initial close re-election race in 2000, she has won landslides for her House seat ever since.

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WI-SEN

Tammy Baldwin: 'I Think I Am Likely' To Run For Wisconsin Senate Seat

Eric Kleefeld | July 5, 2011, 2:15PM

Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is getting closer to a run for Senate in the very polarized swing state of Wisconsin, where four-term Dem Sen. Herb Kohl is retiring in 2012.

"I think I am likely to run," Baldwin told the Capital Times, in a profile piece. She later added: "It is a major decision, and I have to make it carefully, but I am likely to do it."

Baldwin was first elected to Congress in 1998, representing a strongly Democratic district comprising Madison and the surrounding counties. Except for a close-call race for her second term in 2000, she has been easily re-elected ever since.

A survey in late May from Public Policy Polling (D) found that Baldwin could start out with a plurality of 30% in a wide open Democratic primary -- that is, if former Sen. Russ Feingold, who lost in the 2010 Republican wave, were to decide not to run. If Feingold were to run, he would begin with a prohibitive 70%, with Baldwin at a mere 12%.

WI-SEN

PPP Poll: Feingold Way Ahead For WI-SEN Dem Nod, Thompson Could Face GOP Troubles

Eric Kleefeld | May 27, 2011, 3:00PM

Former Gov. Tommy Thompson (R-WI) and former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI)

A new survey of Wisconsin from Public Policy Polling (D) finds that in the open Senate race, where Democratic Sen. Herb Kohl is retiring, former Sen. Russ Feingold could potentially have a lock on the Dem nomination if he wanted it -- but that former Gov. Tommy Thompson might face a competitive contest on the GOP side.

If Feingold were to run -- following his defeat for re-election after three terms, in the 2010 Republican wave -- the poll shows him starting out with a whopping 70% support in a Democratic primary, followed in a very distant second place of 12% by Rep. Tammy Baldwin, who has been eyeing the race, and several other names in single digits.

If Feingold did not run, Baldwin would start with 30%, followed by former Rep. Steve Kagen (who also lost in 2010) with 17%, Rep. Ron Kind with 16%, state Sen. Jon Erpenbach with 13%, and several others in single digits.

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WI-SEN

PPP Poll: Feingold Leads In WI-SEN Race, GOPer Thompson Only Close Against Other Dems

Eric Kleefeld | May 24, 2011, 12:40PM

Former Gov. Tommy Thompson (R-WI) and former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI)

A new survey of the Wisconsin Senate race from Public Policy Polling (D), where Democratic Sen. Herb Kohl is retiring, gives the potential Democratic candidates consistent leads over any Republican who isn't named Tommy Thompson -- and even Thompson, the former four-term governor and Bush-era Health and Human Services Secretary, would face a close race.

Several different potential Democratic candidates were tested out against several Republicans, in a swing state that has become the center of a polarizing political debate over labor unions in the wake of Republican Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union legislation.

"Russ Feingold's going to start out as a solid favorite if he wants to go back to the Senate," writes PPP president Dean Debnam. "His loss last year had less to do with him than the national political climate and because of Scott Walker's unpopularity things have shifted back toward the Democrats more quickly in Wisconsin than most other places."

The poll of registered voters was conducted from May 19-22, and has a ±2.4% margin of error.

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2012 elections

Wis. Dem Chair: Russ Feingold, Tammy Baldwin Could Run For Senate Seat

Eric Kleefeld | May 13, 2011, 2:54PM

Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

On a conference call with reporters just now, Wisconsin Democratic Party chairman Mike Tate predicted that the party would have one or more strong candidates in the race to succeed Dem Sen. Herb Kohl, who announced his retirement earlier on Friday. Indeed, Tate directly named some key potential candidates who are already looking at it, or might soon be doing so.

Chief among the names that Tate listed were former Sen. Russ Feingold, who lost re-election in the 2010 Republican wave after three terms in office, and seven-term Rep. Tammy Baldwin from Madison and the surrounding counties.

"I think the next 6-8 weeks are going be an important timeframe for people to at least make a decision about whether they're gonna run," Tate said.

"I've already spoken with some people this morning who indicated there are serious people thinking about getting in this race," Tate also added, saying that at least for Friday focus should be on Kohl himself and his record of serving the state.

When a reporter asked who Tate might have been talking to, or what names might have come up, Tate said there could be many great candidates. "Obviously Russ Feingold looms large if he were or were not to run again," Tate said. "And I've spoken to people very close to her that Tammy Baldwin is seriously considering running for the Senate seat."

Tate also said that people who might be looking at the race include Rep. Ron Kind, Milwaukee Mayor and 2010 gubernatorial nominee Tom Barrett, former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, and biotechnology executive Kevin Conroy.

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