WI-SEN

Wis. GOP Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald Running For Senate

Eric Kleefeld | August 30, 2011, 10:25AM

Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald (R)

Another Republican has thrown his hat into the ring for the Wisconsin Senate seat being opened up by the retirement of Democratic Sen. Herb Kohl. And the latest candidate has a big name: State Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald -- who along with his brother, state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, and Gov. Scott Walker, has been instrumental in passing the anti-public employee union legislation that sparked the wave of protests, recall elections, and other big controversies in Wisconsin.

Fitzgerald confirmed his candidacy to the Wausau Daily Herald on Monday:

He said he would apply his experience in the Wisconsin Legislature to the Senate.

"We have the same problems here (in Wisconsin) as we have in D.C.," he said, citing excessive taxation as an example. He said the national debt must be brought under control and that "we need to start making stuff in this country."

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WI-SEN

GOPer Mark Neumann Announces Senate Campaign In Wisconsin

Eric Kleefeld | August 29, 2011, 1:56PM

Former Rep. Mark Neumann (R-WI)

Former Rep. Mark Neumann (R-WI) officially launched his campaign for U.S. Senate Monday, setting up a likely Republican primary against the more moderate former Gov. Tommy Thompson.

Neumann announced his campaign in an interview with conservative talk radio host Charlie Sykes, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Neumann's likely opponent Thompson has been gearing up for the race, and has already been attacked by the conservative group the Club For Growth.

Some of Neumann's former aides now work at the Club For Growth, though Neumann said in the interview that he would not have any control over what the group does. "They support conservative candidates. We hope they'll support us," Neumann said of the Club. And regarding his former staffers, he said: "They are conservative people and they are dedicated to reducing wasteful spending."

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WI-SEN

Club For Growth Ad Slams Tommy Thompson In Wis. Senate Race (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | August 23, 2011, 9:55AM

The right-wing Club For Growth is wasting no time in taking a shot at Republican former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, who is poised to officially enter race for the state's open Democratic-held Senate seat. They've released a new TV ad seeking to tie Thompson to President Obama and health care reform.

Of course, Thompson does not yet have an opponent. But the Club has been dismissive of Thompson for months, and has released poll data suggesting that the relatively moderate Thompson could be vulnerable to a primary challenge from the right.

"Tommy Thompson has been a politician since way back in 1966," the announcer says. "But do you know his record? As governor, Thompson supported massive tax and spending increases."

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Wisconsin

Feingold: I Will Not Run For Public Office In 2012

Eric Kleefeld | August 19, 2011, 9:25AM

Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), June 12, 2011.

Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), who lost his seat after three terms in the 2010 Republican wave, has announced that he will not run for office in 2012 -- either in the race for state's open Senate seat, or in a potential recall against Gov. Scott Walker -- a development that could possibly lower the chances for success of the latter possibility, or the likelihood of a recall even occurring.

"This was a difficult decision, as I thoroughly enjoyed my tenure in both the State Senate and the U.S. Senate, and I know that progressives are eager to reverse some of the outrageous policies being pursued by corporate interests at both the state and federal levels," Feingold wrote in an e-mail to his supporters.

"I am also well aware that I have a very strong standing in the polls should I choose to run again for the U.S. Senate or in a recall election for governor. After twenty-eight continuous years as an elected official, however, I have found the past eight months to be an opportunity to look at things from a different perspective."

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