for Russ Feingold, from Howard Dean

The state of Wisconsin and progressives everywhere got some great news recently: Russ Feingold officially announced that he is running against incumbent Tea Party Senator Ron Johnson, giving Democrats a clearer shot than ever at reclaiming the Senate in 2016.

Russ has been a champion on issues that matter to progressives for his entire career. No one will ever forget his brave vote against the Patriot Act in 2001 or how long and hard he fought to limit money in politics by enacting his signature legislation -- a set of tough, bipartisan campaign finance reform measures. After the financial collapse, he pushed to re-enact Glass-Steagall and to break up the "too big to fail" banks once and for all.

Russ has proven that he will stand up for what he thinks is right no matter what. He will do whatever it takes to level the playing field for working Americans. That's why I'm proud to announce that I am endorsing him in his fight to once again represent Wisconsin in the Senate.

Please show Russ that you are ready to help him defeat incumbent Tea Party Senator Ron Johnson -- and help take back the Senate from the GOP. Become a founding RussBacker today by chipping in $3 or more to support his campaign.

When I ran for president, we didn't rely on huge checks from billionaires and party insiders. My campaign was fueled by thousands of small donations from people across the country who were genuinely excited about what we were building together.

I'm happy to say that Russ is building exactly that kind of grassroots campaign in Wisconsin. In just the first few weeks of his candidacy, he has received thousands of small-dollar contributions from progressive activists from across all 50 states.

Compare that with the campaign that his opponent, Sen. Ron Johnson, plans to run. In 2010, Johnson poured nearly $9 million of his own money into his campaign. This time around, he is teaming up with wealthy corporate donors and "advocacy groups" like the Koch-run Americans for Prosperity -- and they're already getting out their wallets.

Democrats need to win big in Wisconsin if we are going to take the Senate back from the Republicans in 2016. The Tea Party and their corporate sponsors are going to fight tooth and nail to keep one of the biggest progressive heavyweights out there from rejoining the Senate and potentially tipping the balance of power back in our favor.

Let's give Russ Feingold's campaign the head start it needs and deserves so he can win back this key seat and help Democrats take back the Senate. Chip in $3 or more today to become a founding RussBacker.

Thanks for helping to elect more progressive champions,

- Howard

Gov. Howard Dean, Chair
Democracy for America

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