Ron Johnson Defeats Russ Feingold In Wisconsin Senate Race

MILWAUKEE — A businessman who sought support from the tea party has toppled one of the Senate's most prominent liberals.

Republican Ron Johnson defeated three-term Democrat Russ Feingold on Tuesday, becoming the state's first Republican senator in 18 years.

Johnson ran a plastics company for 31 years. On the campaign trail, he touted his accounting and business experience, saying he knew how to create jobs and balance budgets.

He rose to prominence after giving two well-received tea party speeches. He has said his top priority is to repeal health care.

Feingold tried to appeal to voters with his reputation as a maverick. But he failed to gain traction, in part because voters believed President Barack Obama had not delivered on his message of change.

Comments

[Zip Ominous]

11:24 PM on 11/04/2010

No reason left to remain in the U.S.

[GirlfromIpanema]

09:40 AM on 11/04/2010

Ron Johnson is a high school dropout that used his wife's money to win this campaign. How can these voters choose him over Feingold never ceases to amaze me.

Feingold is a great guy, one of the best. What is wrong with the voters in Wisconsin? How can you vote for Ron "dip$hit" Johnson?

[leucippe]

12:09 AM on 11/04/2010

Feingold's loss was a real tragedy to his state and to the country. We mourn with the voters of Wisconsin. Who would have thought that they could not appreciate the best man of principle, decency, and fairness around. Of all the losses, this was the most heartbreaking.

[chief03]

10:43 PM on 11/03/2010

Ron "Tea Spot" Johnson shocked to find out his Senate job is in Washington, DC, and not the WI state capital ("you mean that Senate?")

He has second thoughts after seeing Tea Party Safety Oasis map from the Rally For Glenn Beck's Material Wealth.

[MichaelM888]

10:43 PM on 11/03/2010

If you listened to the debate between Feingold and Johnson it was like Intelligence (Feingold) versus Ignorance ( Johnson). so I conclude, Oh Wisdom! you have recoiled from thoughtless people,and deceivers will now exploit them, and be to them, agents of yesteryear,purveyors of greed, tools of lobbyists, and strutting peacocks.

[demlover1]

07:11 PM on 11/03/2010

I'm very sad about this loss. I used to live in Wisconsin and have always admired Senator Feingold. Other than losing the house this was probably the saddest moment of last night. I can't help but thinking that if President Obama had followed Feingold's advice and pushed harder for a public option, Democrats would have been in better shape last night.

And I agree with another poster who said Democrats must get better at having clear talking points and repeating them like Republicans and need to run sharper attack ads. In California, Boxer and Brown did a great job of ripping apart their Republican CEO opponents, portraying them as greedy, uncaring business people out for themselves. More Dems should have followed this model and borrowed from their creative attack ads.

[oldgeek1]

05:23 PM on 11/03/2010

Those who believe that being pragmatic and wanting good government have never had to win an election. Creating conflict and criticism is what wins elections. Feingold was and is a class act and looked to serve the American People, unfortunately that is not good enough to win.

[chaucer1]

05:09 PM on 11/03/2010

At least they didn't crash his plane.

[Zip Ominous]

11:25 PM on 11/04/2010

Excellent comment.

[Justamailman]

05:07 PM on 11/03/2010

We the people are toast and the lemmings have elected the toasters. If I could sell my house, I'd be looking for a benevolent country to my north to emigrate to. Just a bunch of modern day king mentality here and I don't believe in kings.

[Sisa]

06:52 PM on 11/03/2010

Montreal here I come. Does Canada offer political asylum ?

[hottpotat0]

01:06 AM on 11/04/2010

were feeling it too-but going south instead(costa rica maybe) tired of the dance

[Zip Ominous]

11:25 PM on 11/04/2010

Fanned.

[worldsam]

04:58 PM on 11/03/2010

A great loss for our country. To think he is being replaced by a plastics company executive is disappointing.

[lmak]

04:37 PM on 11/03/2010

I just received an email from the Wisconsin Democratic Party telling me they have learned from this experience. I'm in mourning for the loss of Russ Feingold, but nevertheless, this was my reply:
The Democrats I know are not only disappointed but angry to lose Russ Feingold.
Democrats need to learn some lessons from Republicans. Republicans have talking points that they repeat over and over and they present a unified front and don't break rank.
Democrats don't need to work on the people who read, are informed or like facts. You need to go for the ignorance gold out there. Russ should have been running ads on Johnson supporting pedophiles over children, asking for stimulus money, being a job creator after marrying a billionaire's daughter who set him up in business, having employees on Badgercare, getting campaign money from the bailed out banks after he railed against the bailout. Russ to his credit did stick up for healthcare. But, when Johnson talked about his daughter being born with heart defects "having the best medical care in the world" vs "Canadian Style" health care that Obamacare, with Feingold's support, rammed down the voter's throats, why didn't Russ say, having a billionaire for a grandfather and a millionaire for a father got her that care? My kid would have died, been denied because of pre-existing heart problems or my house foreclosed on to pay the medical bills.
Grow some spines or we will all be talking about President Palin in 2012.

[Justamailman]

04:56 PM on 11/03/2010

One more about johnson..he LOVED nafta! I could talk to acquaintances and relatives, until I'm blue in the face about the obvious differences between the two and how Russ had the people's interests at heart and johnson's concerns are for the wealthy, powerful and corporate lobbyists but, it does no good and we just experienced a tidal wave of the electorate voting for candidates that only do what is profitable for the few and themselves. You are Fanned!

[lmak]

05:15 PM on 11/03/2010

My brother-in-law has been waiting for eighteen years for Russ Feingold to show up at his front door to take his guns away. He'll need them to pawn when he gets laid off soon and the Republicans won't extend unemployment. That's all that opens up here in northern Wisconsin, pawn shops and check into cash places...but the people who frequent them probably voted for Ron Johnson because he has "real world" experience. You should have to pass an IQ test before they allow you to vote!

[vlm1948]

04:07 PM on 11/03/2010

Wow, Wisconsin, I thought you were smarter than that.

[ajs4]

09:40 PM on 11/03/2010

Because no reasonably intelligent person would ever agree with Russ Feingold or Barack Obama -- they went to Harvard!!!!!!

Your statement pretty much sums up why Dems just got slaughtered, keep it up and see how 2012 goes

[Zip Ominous]

11:31 PM on 11/04/2010

Russ Feingold never ridiculed anyone, not once, ever.

You won't find a more dead serious politician anywhere.

Feingold never even told a single joke.

So is that why snarky Ron "slaughtered" the solemn candidate? Johnson is condescending & full of disdain. Feingold refused to even step there.

Take the plank out of thine own eye before thou condemn the speck in thy brother's.

[PrincessAnnie]

03:46 PM on 11/03/2010

Looks like the dumbing-down of America was a success!

[StalinsLoveChild]

02:56 PM on 11/03/2010

Adiós, muchachos.

[brklynivn]

05:33 AM on 11/04/2010

I'm sure they'll be saying the same for your job once they start outsourcing again...

[StopMakingSense2]

02:52 PM on 11/03/2010

He was my senator, I campaigned for him. He fought for the middle class. If he would have hoed out and taken pack and special interest money he may have survived. He fought with one hand tied behind his back due to lack of funds. I saw few adds for him vs his opponent who was funded by an avalanche of out of state interests. Russ was the most ethical one in the senate and it was his undoing. The good guys seldom win.

[vlm1948]

04:06 PM on 11/03/2010

So true. I gave as much as I could even though he is not my Senator. Very sorry to see him go.

[vlm1948]

04:06 PM on 11/03/2010

I hope he runs for President in 2012.