Russ Feingold
A lot has changed in politics since Wisconsin Democrat Russ Feingold first ran for the Senate in 1992—many things for the better, some for the worse. We now have something resembling a national health insurance system (yay!) and marriage equality for all (yay again!), but we've also got big corporate interests spending way more money on elections than ever before (big-time boo). Feingold has long fought against corrosive campaign cash, and 23 years ago, he promised to raise the majority of his funds from residents of his home state, something he did the very first time he sought office as well as in his three subsequent re-election bids.
But we live in a different world now, a world where Citizens United permits unlimited corporate dollars to flood any and every race. So what's a progressive to do? Unilaterally disarm? Fight with one hand behind his back? Give up every advantage while his opponent readily exploits them?
Feingold already tried that in 2010—the same year Citizens United was handed down—when he made and kept his in-state fundraising pledge for the fourth time. In return, his wealthy Republican opponent, Ron Johnson, self-funded an eye-popping $9 million, then went on to win by a 52-47 margin.
In his comeback bid this cycle, Feingold has acknowledged that it's not 1992 anymore, and he hasn't made the same pledge this time (though he's still raised an impressive 46 percent of his funds so far from Wisconsinites):
Feingold said his past pledges "preceded this insanity of allowing corporations to have unlimited contributions...that is the context in which that promise was made. It makes no sense now in light of the fact that you have dark money coming in, in unlimited amounts that isn't even disclosed. ...There is no hypocrisy or dishonesty when a certain set of facts that existed in 1992 simply do not exist anymore."
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This, predictably, has sent Johnson's campaign into a fit of miserable whining:
"Senator Feingold built his whole career on his campaign finance promises. Now, he's breaking his promises," Johnson campaign spokesman Brian Reisinger said in a statement. [...]
"If Senator Feingold will violate his own principles on the issue most important to him, we know he will violate any principle on the issues important to Wisconsinites. He's becoming an example of exactly what's wrong in politics," said Reisinger of the Johnson campaign.
Seriously, bro? You forked out $9,000,000 from your own wallet—then
conveniently got repaid $10,000,000 by your plastics company—and now you're whining about someone
else's campaign finances? Put another way, Johnson is trying to argue that Feingold is a hypocrite because Feingold intends to operate under the same rules Johnson is relying on! What a load of bollocks.
What's more, Feingold has proposed one of those "people's pledges" that Elizabeth Warren and Scott Brown pioneered in Massachusetts back in 2012—an agreement between the candidates to limit outside money in their race. Johnson's refused to participate, so he really has negative zero moral authority to complain about Feingold's fundraising.
In the end, Johnson's moaning will get him nowhere—and it's Feingold who got in the last word:
Feingold said he will work to change the system, but "Ron Johnson likes this system. He has never criticized Citizens United."
If this race is going to be about which candidate likes
Citizens United more, Ron Johnson isn't going to enjoy it very much.