If you’re wondering whether Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) thinks his seat is under threat this November, look no further.
Poised to face wealthy Tea Party favorite Ron Johnson in the general election this fall, Feingold is trying to draw attention to the support he’s had in the past from some of the most conservative people and organizations in Republican politics.
In a release accompanying his first radio ad in Wisconsin, Feingold’s campaign runs through a laundry list of conservative supporters. “The conservative group Americans for Prosperity, the ‘nation’s premier grassroots organization committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity’ and a major backer of the Tea Party movement, praises Feingold, saying ‘I applaud Senator Feingold for voting against the 2009 Omnibus Spending bill and truly respect his principled stand against wasteful earmarks.'”
The list goes on.
FreedomWorks, another conservative organization, called Feingold a “true fiscal conservative” and praised him for being the only Democratic vote against a 2005 pork-laden bill.
And on:
The conservative group Club for Growth rated Feingold the “top scoring Democrat” in its 2007 RePORK Card that scores members of Congress on their record of eliminating wasteful pork-barrel spending. In 2009, the Club for Growth also noted that Russ tied with or scored “better than thirty-nine Republican senators.”
Feingold, of course, also voted for the health care bill, which won’t make him many friends among conservative voters. Most Democrats are, in a way, running against the Tea Party. And though Feingold isn’t shying away from criticizing his opponent, he’s also clearly trying to ingratiate himself with Johnson’s base. Not too many Democrats are embracing that strategy.
TPM’s Polltracker finds Feingold very narrowly ahead of Johnson.
You can hear the audio for the new ad below.
