Russ Feingold | |
|---|---|
_(3x4).jpg) Feingold in 2015 | |
| United States Special Envoy for theAfrican Great Lakes and theCongo-Kinshasa | |
| In office July 18, 2013 – March 6, 2015 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Barrie Walkley |
| Succeeded by | Tom Perriello |
| United States Senator fromWisconsin | |
| In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Kasten |
| Succeeded by | Ron Johnson |
| Member of theWisconsin Senate from the27th district | |
| In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Everett Bidwell |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Wineke |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Russell Dana Feingold (1953-03-02)March 2, 1953 (age 72) Janesville, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Wisconsin, Madison (BA) Magdalen College, Oxford (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
| Signature |  |
Feingold closing debate on theBipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. Recorded March 20, 2002 | |
Russell Dana Feingold (/ˈfaɪnɡoʊld/FYNE-gold; born March 2, 1953) is an American politician and lawyer who served as aUnited States Senator fromWisconsin from 1993 to 2011. A member of theDemocratic Party, he was its nominee in the2016 election for the same U.S. Senate seat he had previously occupied.[1] From 1983 to 1993, he was aWisconsin State Senator representing the27th District.[2]
WithJohn McCain, Feingold received the 1999John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.[3] He and McCain cosponsored theBipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (McCain–Feingold Act), a major piece ofcampaign finance reform legislation. He was the only senator to vote against thePatriot Act of 2001.
Feingold was mentioned as a possible candidate in the2008 presidential election, but in November 2006 announced he would not run.[4] In 2010, Feingoldlost his campaign for reelection to the U.S. Senate toRepublican nomineeRon Johnson.[5][6] On June 18, 2013, he was selected bySecretary of StateJohn Kerry to replaceR. Barrie Walkley as a special envoy to theGreat Lakes region of Africa.[7]
On May 14, 2015, Feingold announced his candidacy for his old Senate seat in2016.[1] He was defeated by Johnson in a rematch of their 2010 Senate race.[8] In 2020, Feingold became president of theAmerican Constitution Society.
Feingold was born inJanesville, Wisconsin, to aJewish family. His grandparents were immigrants fromRussia andGalicia.[9] His father, Leon Feingold (1912–1980), was an attorney; his mother, Sylvia Feingold (née Binstock; 1918–2005), worked at atitle company. Feingold was one of four children. Feingold's father and his older brother David, aVietnam War conscientious objector, were the major influences on his political development as a youth.[10] As a boy he was also involved with theB'nai B'rith Youth Organization andAleph Zadik Aleph.
In 1972, Feingold volunteered for thepresidential campaign ofNew York City mayorJohn Lindsay. He later supported the presidential campaigns ofMo Udall andTed Kennedy.[11]
After graduating fromJoseph A. Craig High School, Feingold attended theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison and graduated in 1975 with aBachelor of Arts degree withhonors inpolitical science. He was a member of thePhi Beta Kappa honor society and was inducted into theIron Shield Society, which is considered the highest honor achievable by University of Wisconsin-Madison undergraduate students.[12] Feingold then went toMagdalen College at theUniversity of Oxford on aRhodes Scholarship, where he graduated in 1977 with afirst-class honours Bachelor of Arts in jurisprudence. Upon returning to the U.S., he attendedHarvard Law School, receiving hisJuris Doctor with honors in 1979.[2][13]
Feingold worked as an attorney at the private law firms ofFoley & Lardner and La Follette & Sinykin from 1979 until 1985.[14]
In 1982, Feingold was elected to theWisconsin Senate, where he served for 10 years until his election to theUnited States Senate. After he was elected to the United States Senate, Feingold was succeeded in the state senate byJoe Wineke.[15]
Feingold's U.S. Senate career began in 1992 with a victory overRepublican incumbent SenatorBob Kasten. Feingold had little name recognition in the state and was campaigning in a primary against CongressmanJim Moody and businessman Joe Checota, but adopted several proposals to gain the electorate's attention. He painted five promises on his garage door, calling it acontract with Wisconsin voters.[16] Among Feingold's promises was a pledge to rely on Wisconsin citizens for most of his contributions[17] and a pledge to hold a "listening session" in each ofWisconsin's 72 counties each year he was in office.[18][19]
Feingold released an advertisement featuring anElvis Presley impersonator endorsing his candidacy.[20] His Republican opponent,Bob Kasten, responded to the ad with one of his own featuring another Elvis impersonator attacking Feingold's record.[21]
During the primary campaign, Feingold unveiled an 82-point plan that aimed to eliminate thedeficit by the end of his first term.[22] The plan called for a raise intaxes and cuts in thedefense budget, among other things, and was derided as "extremist" byRepublicans and "tooliberal" by his Democratic opponents. Feingold also announced his support for strictcampaign finance reform and anational health care system and voiced his opposition toterm limits and newtax cuts.[23]
Feingold won by positioning himself as a quirky underdog who offered voters an alternative to what was seen by many as negative campaigning of opponentsJim Moody and Joe Checota.[24] On primary day, Feingold, who had polled in the single digits during much of the campaign, won 70% of the vote.[23] Seven weeks later, whileBill Clinton,George H. W. Bush, andRoss Perot split the Wisconsin presidential vote 41%-37%-21%, Feingold beat Kasten, 53% to 46%.[24]
During his 1998 reelection campaign, Feingold was outspent by his Republican opponent, RepresentativeMark Neumann, and targeted by theNational Republican Senatorial Committee.[25] Feingold placed a cap on his ownfundraising, pledging not to raise or spend more than $3.8 million (one dollar for every citizen of Wisconsin) during the campaign, and turning away Democratic Partysoft money.[26] He requested that severallobby groups, including theAFL–CIO and theLeague of Conservation Voters, refrain from airing pro-Feingold "issue ads".[27] Some Democrats were angry at Feingold for "putting his career at risk" with these self-imposed limits.[27] Neumann also limited himself to $3.8 million in spending, but allowed soft money to be used in his favor by outside groups.[26] A strong showing in the Democratic strongholds ofMilwaukee andMadison allowed Feingold to win the election by about two percentage points.[28]
In the 2004 Senate election, Feingold defeated the Republican candidate, businessman Tim Michels, by 11 percentage points (55%-44%), earning a third term.[29] During the campaign, Feingold refrained from imposing spending caps on himself as he had in the past, and raised and spent almost $11 million. In 2004, Feingold spent nearly $3.7 million, or about 67%, more than his opponent.PolitiFact.com rated Feingold's frequent assertion that he had been outspent by opponents in every U.S. Senate election "pants on fire."[30]
In late December 2004, Feingold was appointed to be one of four deputywhips for the Senate Democrats.[31]
Feingold was defeated for reelection on November 2, 2010, byOshkosh businessmanRon Johnson, 52% to 47%.[32]
On May 14, 2015, Feingold announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate against the incumbent, RepublicanRon Johnson.[1]
In his 2016 campaign, Feingold said he would no longer adhere to his longstanding pledge to raise the majority of his campaign funds from Wisconsin residents. Feingold said the pledge had been made on an election-to-election basis and no longer made sense.[19][33] As of March 2016, Feingold had raised the most money among all U.S. Senate candidates challenging an incumbent. Nearly three-fourths of his individual contributions were from outside Wisconsin.[34]
Groups financially supporting Feingold's election bid includedPlanned Parenthood, theLeague of Conservation Voters,American Bridge 21st Century, and theNational Abortion Rights Action League.[35] In May 2016, SenatorBernie Sanders endorsed Feingold and engaged in fundraising for him.[36]
In the November 8, 2016, general election, Feingold was defeated by Johnson. Feingold received slightly less than 47%, and Johnson received slightly more than 50%, of the vote.[37]
During his time in the U.S. Senate, Feingold gained a reputation as a political maverick with an independent streak. When he broke with his own party, it was often because he was taking a more liberal or populist position than other Democrats.[39][40] Throughout his congressional tenure, several ranking systems placed Feingold among the nation's most liberal or progressive senators.[41][42]
During theimpeachment trial of Bill Clinton, Feingold was the only Democratic senator to vote against a motion to dismiss Congress's impeachment case against PresidentBill Clinton. Feingold ultimately voted against conviction on all charges.[40]
Feingold opposedNAFTA and numerous otherfree trade agreements.[40]
In 1999, Feingold and U.S. SenatorJohn McCain, who later co-authored theBipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 with Feingold, received the JFK Foundation'sProfile in Courage Award in recognition of their efforts in pushing for campaign finance reform in the Senate.[43]
In 2001, Feingold was the only senator to vote against thePatriot Act (H.R. 3162).[44] Also in 2001, Feingold voted for the confirmation ofAttorney GeneralJohn Ashcroft.[45]
On December 21, 2004, Feingold wrote an article for the websiteSalon about a golfing trip toGreenville, Alabama.[46] After noting how friendly the people were, and thatWisconsin had many similar places, he expressed his sorrow that such a poverty-stricken area was "thereddest spot on the whole map" despite Republican policies that Feingold considered destructive to the well-being of the poor and middle class.Alabama GovernorBob Riley and Greenville Mayor Dexter McLendon, both Republicans, were perturbed at Feingold's description of "check-cashing stores and abjecttrailer parks, and some of the hardest-used cars for sale on a very rundown lot." McLendon invited Feingold back for a more complete tour of the city, and Feingold agreed. He visited the city on March 28, 2005, making amends and increasing speculation about his presidential plans for 2008.[47]
In May 2006, Feingold voted in favor of bill S.2611, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, animmigration reform bill that was designed to give most illegal immigrants a chance to become legal citizens.[48]
Feingold co-sponsored a number of failed bills calling for the abolition of the death penalty.[49][50]
In 2009, Feingold voted against confirmation ofTimothy Geithner to beUnited States Secretary of the Treasury, citing Geithner's personal tax issues.[51] Also in 2009, Feingold announced that he was planning to introduce aconstitutional amendment that would prohibitgovernors from making temporary Senate appointments instead of holding special elections.[52]
Feingold cosponsored the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, which was signed into law in October 2009.[53]
Feingold is perhaps best known for his work with SenatorJohn McCain on theBipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, better known as the McCain–Feingold Act.[54] The legislation, which took seven years to pass, became defunct in the wake of several U.S. Supreme Court decisions.[55][56]
On May 20, 2010, Feingold was one of twoDemocratic senators to vote against theDodd–Frank Wall Street reform bill,[57] citing his belief that the measures did not go far enough.[58] On July 15, 2010, he became the only Democratic senator to vote against the bill when it was brought up again; it passed by a 60–39 vote.[59]
Feingold was the only senator to vote against thePatriot Act when it was first introduced in 2001,[60][61] saying that its provisions infringed upon citizens'civil liberties.[62]
When the bill was up for renewal in late December 2005, Feingold led abipartisan coalition of senators – includingLisa Murkowski,Ken Salazar,Larry Craig,Dick Durbin andJohn Sununu – to remove some of the act's more controversial provisions.[63] Feingold led afilibuster against renewal of the act. In February 2006, the Senate voted 96–3 to break the filibuster and to extend the Patriot Act.[64][65]
In 2009, when the act was again up for reauthorization, Feingold introduced theJUSTICE Act (S. 1686) "To place reasonable safeguards on the use of surveillance and other authorities under the USA PATRIOT Act."[66] SenatorPatrick Leahy then introduced an alternative bill, about which Feingold later said "...while narrower than the JUSTICE Act that Senator Durbin and I have championed, [it] did contain several important and necessary protections for the privacy of innocent Americans." After what Feingold saw as the further watering down of civil liberty protections in the bill, it passed out of theSenate Judiciary Committee on October 8 by a vote of 11 to 8[67] with Feingold voting against it.[68]
Feingold was one of 23 senators to vote againstH.J. Resolution 114, which authorized PresidentGeorge W. Bush to use force againstIraq in 2002.[69]
On August 17, 2005, he became the first senator to call for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq and urge that a timetable for that withdrawal be set. He called other Democrats "timid" for refusing to take action sooner, and suggested December 31, 2006, as the date for total withdrawal of troops. On the subject of Bush's assertion that a deadline would be helpful to Iraqiinsurgents, Feingold said, "I think he's wrong. I think not talking aboutendgames is playing into our enemies' hand."[70]
On April 27, 2006, Feingold announced that he would move to amend anappropriations bill granting $106.5 billion in emergency spending measure for Iraq andHurricane Katrina relief to require that troops withdraw completely from Iraq.[71]
On March 14, 2006, Feingold introduced a resolution in the Senate tocensure President Bush.[72] This was a result of allegations ofillegal wiretapping under theForeign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA), which mandates use of asurveillance court for approval ofwiretaps on Americans. Feingold made a 25-minute speech on the Senate floor, declaring that Congress must "hold the president accountable for his actions". It received support from SenatorsTom Harkin ofIowa andBarbara Boxer ofCalifornia, but most Democratic senators avoided expressing an opinion on it. SenatorsJohn Kerry ofMassachusetts andPatrick Leahy ofVermont expressed support for the bill, but Feingold was able to find only three co-sponsors.
Feingold again called for Bush's censure in July 2007 for his management of the Iraq war, accusing him of mounting an "assault" against theUnited States Constitution.[73]
Feingold supports the creation of a system ofuniversal health care in America. During his first run for the Senate, he endorsed thesingle-payer model, in which the government pays for all healthcare costs.[74]
On July 24, 2006, at apress conference at the Martin Luther King Heritage Health Center inMilwaukee, Wisconsin, Feingold announced that he had authored the State-Based Health Care Reform Act, a bill to create apilot program for a system of universal healthcare under which eachU.S. state would create a program to provide its citizenry with universal health insurance and thefederal government would provide the funding. The bill would create anonpartisan "Health Care Reform Task Force," which would provide five-yearfederal grants to two or three states. The program was expected to cost $32 billion over 10 years.[75]
Feingold voted for thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act that passed the Senate on December 24, 2009.[76]
Feingold has voted in favor of certain gun-control legislation while also voting to expand certain gun rights.[77] He signed the congressional amicus brief inDistrict of Columbia v. Heller, the U.S. Supreme Court case that overturned a handgun ban in Washington, D.C.[78]
Feingold has voted in favor of bills to requirebackground checks for handgun buyers, to require background checks for firearms purchases atgun shows, and to require that handguns be sold withtrigger locks.[77] He supported President Barack Obama's 2016 executive orders to expand background checks and strengthen enforcement of existing gun laws.[79]
Feingold supports abortion rights.[35]
In 1996, Feingold was in a minority of legislators who voted against theDefense of Marriage Act, which President Bill Clinton signed into law.[50] In an April 4, 2006 interview, Feingold announced that he favored the legalization ofsame-sex marriage.[80]
On May 18, 2006, Feingold walked out of a meeting of theSenate Judiciary Committee shortly before a vote on aconstitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. Feingold objected to both the amendment and decision of ChairmanArlen Specter (R-PA at the time) to move the meeting to an area of theCapitol Building not open to the public. Later that day, the committee voted to send the amendment to the full Senate.[81]
In late January 2005, Feingold told theTiger Bay Club ofVolusia County, Florida that he intended to travel around the country before deciding whether or not to run in 2008.[82] In March 2005, his Senate campaign staff registered the domain www.russfeingold08.com, as well as the .org and .net versions.[83] On June 1, 2005, Feingold launched apolitical action committee (PAC), the Progressive Patriots Fund. A "draft Feingold" movement was established independently of his campaign.[84]
On August 17, 2005, Feingold became the first U.S. Senator of either party to suggest a firm date for American withdrawal from theIraq War, saying that he favored a complete withdrawal by no later than December 31, 2006.[70]
Feingold supportedJohn Roberts's Supreme Court nomination in September 2005, and was one of three Democrats on theSenate Judiciary Committee to vote in favor of sending the nomination to the floor for a final vote. Feingold graduated from Harvard Law School the same year asRoberts, 1979.[85] Four months later, in January 2006, he voted againstSamuel Alito's nomination to the Court in committee and againstcloture of debate on the nomination.[86]
Considered a long shot for president, Feingold announced in November 2006 that he would not seek his party's nomination in 2008.[87] He said that a presidential campaign would detract from his focus on the Senate, and the resulting scrutiny "would dismantle both my professional life (in the Senate) and my personal life."[4] In his parting comments he warned his supporters against supporting anyone for the presidency who voted for the Iraq War, whether they later regretted it or not, saying his first choice for president in 2008 was someone who voted against the war, and his second choice is someone who was not in Congress but spoke out against the war at the time.[4]
On February 22, 2008, he said he had voted for Obama in Wisconsin'sDemocratic presidential primary election.[88]
Following his 2010 defeat, Feingold was appointed a visiting professor atMarquette University Law School.[citation needed] He wrote a book titledWhile America Sleeps: A Wake-Up Call to the Post-9/11 World, and supported Obama'sreelection in2012.[89] In February 2012, it was announced that Feingold would be a co-chair of Obama's reelection campaign.[90] In 2012, he was the Mimi and Peter E. Haas Distinguished Visitor atStanford Law School.[91] In 2012–13, he was the Stephen Edward Scarff Distinguished Visiting professor atLawrence University.[92]
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In February 2011, Feingold formed Progressives United, aPolitical Action Committee, and an affiliated nonprofit entity called Progressives United Inc.[2] Progressives United's stated aim was "directly and indirectly supporting candidates who stand up for our progressive ideals."[93] From 2011 to 2015, the two groups raised and spent $10 million. The PAC has helped raise money for more than 50 progressive candidates, including the largest beneficiary, then-candidateElizabeth Warren, who successfully defeated incumbentScott Brown in 2012.[94] Progressives United Inc. shut down in late 2014, and the Progressives United PAC suspended its fundraising activities in May 2015 in order to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest with Feingold's 2016 Senate campaign.[95][96][97]
Feingold had received encouragement from Democrats to run for office in an expectedrecall election against Wisconsin GovernorScott Walker, but in August 2011 he announced that he had no plans to run for office in 2012 in eithera gubernatorial recall election orthe election to Wisconsin's other U.S. senate seat.[98]
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On June 18, 2013, Feingold was appointed United States Special Representative for theAfrican Great Lakes region and theDemocratic Republic of the Congo by United States Secretary of StateJohn Kerry.[99] He announced his departure from the position on February 24, 2015.[100]
In 2016, Feingold ran for his former senate seat and lost the election to Johnson again.[37]
In November 2019, Feingold became a member of the ReFormers Caucus ofIssue One.[101]
In February 2020, Feingold was named president of theAmerican Constitution Society.[102]
Feingold resides inMiddleton, Wisconsin. He is a member of Beth Hillel Temple inKenosha, Wisconsin, where his sister, Dena Feingold, israbbi.[103]
Feingold was married to Sue Levine from 1977 until 1986. They had two children. He married Mary Speerschneider in 1991; in 2005, the couple announced they would divorce.[104] In 2013, Feingold married Dr. Christine Ferdinand, afellow atMagdalen College, Oxford.[105]
In 2011, Feingold received aFreedom Medal from theRoosevelt Institute.[106]
| Candidate | Pct | Candidate | Pct | Candidate | Pct | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russ Feingold | 69% | Jim Moody | 14% | Joe Checota | 14% |
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Russ Feingold | 1,290,662 | 53% | Bob Kasten (inc.) | 1,129,599 | 46% | Patrick W. Johnson | Independent | 16,513 | 1% | William Bittner | Libertarian | 9,147 | <1% | Mervin A.Hanson, Sr. | Independent | 3,264 | <1% | * | |||||
| 1998 | Russ Feingold (inc.) | 890,059 | 51% | Mark Neumann | 852,272 | 48% | Robert R. Raymond | U.S. Taxpayers | 7,942 | <1% | Tom Ender | Libertarian | 5,591 | <1% | Eugene A. Hem | Independent | 4,266 | <1% | * | |||||
| 2004 | Russ Feingold (inc.) | 1,632,697 | 55% | Tim Michels | 1,301,183 | 44% | Arif Khan | Libertarian | 8,367 | <1% | Eugene A. Hem | Independent | 6,662 | <1% | * | |||||||||
| 2010 | Russ Feingold (inc.) | 1,020,958 | 47% | Ron Johnson | 1,125,999 | 52% | Rob Taylor | Constitution | 23,349 | 1% | ||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Russ Feingold | 1,380,335 | 47% | Ron Johnson (inc.) | 1,479,471 | 50% | Phil Anderson | Libertarian | 87,531 | 3% |
*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1992, Robert L. Kundert received 2,747 votes, Joseph Selliken received 2,733 votes, and other write-ins received 459 votes. In 1998, write-ins received 706 votes. In 2004, write-ins received 834 votes.
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource
Data from Wikidata
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromWisconsin (Class 3) 1992,1998,2004,2010,2016 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | United States Senator (Class 3) from Wisconsin 1993–2011 Served alongside:Herb Kohl | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Baby of the Senate 1993–1995 | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | United States Special Envoy for theAfrican Great Lakes and theCongo-Kinshasa 2013–2015 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Senator | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Senator | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Senator |
| Class 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |