Russ just conceded. Damn.
I guess this is now a big THANK YOU diary.
A real class act:
"The people of Wisconsin have spoken, and I respect their decision," Russ Feingold told a crowd at a hotel here in the town where he lives. He said he called Mr. Johnson and offered his help in the transition.
"Being your senator has been the greatest honor of my life," he said.
"You gave me my backbone," he added. Quoting Bob Dylan, he said, "My heart is not weary, it's light and free, and I've got nothing but affection for those who have sailed with me."
It is not clear what he will do next, but Mr. Feingold, 57, told the crowd: "It's on to the next fight, it's on to the next battle, it's on to 2012 and it is on to our next adventure, forward." He raised his fist in the air and left the stage.
excerpt from Russ Feingold's concession speech
Sorry if I got everyone's hopes up, but these recent statements from his campaign really got mine up.
Thanks for all of your comments!
Previous post:
Via the blog WisPolitics, Feingold is not conecding. "Russ is down by 80,000 votes, but...up to 1.4 million votes haven't been counted," his campaign manager, George Aldrich, said at Feingold HQ.
"[N]ot a single vote" from the liberal city of Madison has been counted yet.
"We are confident that this race is going to tighten, it is going to tighten quickly, and we may be in for a long night here," he said.
Very brief diary here, but the quote from Feingold's campaign manager at 10:05pm CST pretty much sums it up:
Cheers erupted from the crowd and Feingold’s supporters have become buoyant and upbeat.
Aldrich, interviewing with WMTV in Madison, says they're not throwing in the towel despite media outlets calling the race for Johnson.
"There's reason for optimism," he said.
He said there remain 300,000 votes to be counted in Milwaukee County, and another 200,000 in Dane County.
Hang in there, Russ!!!
Feingold not conceding
As of 11:35pm EST the total stands at:
U.S. Senate:
52 % reporting
46 % - Russ Feingold
53 % - Ron Johnson
WisPolitics.com
Thanks for the Rec List! I had such high hopes for Sestak here in Pennsylvania, here's hoping that Wisconsin can turn this around.
Hang in there Russ!!!