WI-Sen: Tommy Thompson Won’t Challenge Feingold, Says Wisconsin Radio

Source: Firedoglake



Thompson in Iowa during his brief run for President in 2007 (photo: IowaPolitics.com)

Like with Kirsten Gillibrand, there was really only one Republican lurking out there who would have given Russ Feingold a tough race. In this case it was Tommy Thompson, although with his lobbying history and past history as an awful campaigner in the 2008 Presidential election, my belief is he would have faded. I say “would have” because he, like George Pataki, has apparently decided against a run.

According to sources who have spoken with TODAY’S TMJ4 HD’s Charles Benson, former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson says he will not run for Senator Russ Feingold’s seat.

This would be the second high-profile recruiting failure in two days for the GOP, and it all but assures that Feingold will be able to win re-election; the two candidates currently in the race against him are running well behind. This also allows the Democrats to breathe a little easier about retaining the majority in the Senate; there’s still a path to victory for the Republicans, but they would have to win just about everything out there.

Read more: http://firedoglake.com/

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I was just talking about this with someone over coffee, and low and behold, it is confirmed. Very happy to post this....

Tommy Thompson is an idiot anyway.

He's got the classic perpetually red nose and liver-damage-bloated face of an alkie. My dad died from it.

:kick:

Despite report, Tommy says he hasn't made up mind on Senate:

http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_7fa134e2-47d1-11df-9d8b-001cc4c03286.html

Is Tommy Thompson running?
Posted: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 11:18 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: Republicans, 2010

From NBC's Mark Murray
Earlier this morning, local Wisconsin radio station WTMJ reported that former Republican Gov. (and HHS Secretary) Tommy Thompson would NOT run to challenge Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold this fall.

But Thompson later told the AP that he hadn't made up his mind. "The only person who knows what I'm going to do is myself and I don't know what I'm going to do," he said.

That forced the local radio station to amend its earlier report; it now says Thompson will announce his decision tomorrow.

All that said, a GOP source tells First Read that Thompson isn't expected to run against Feingold.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/04/14/2268146.aspx

as well known as Terrance Wall's Tax cheating...

Can't say that it's a good sign that he's planning on making the announcement at a tea party.

as the 'baggers to see Dems lose Congress.

Because we don't need one more competitive race.

Several months back Thompson said he'd been raking it in pretty well since leaving public office but still hadn't piled up as much money as he'd like. Returning to public office would curtail that, so I figured he and Pataki would most likely not run for Senate. Love these fake patriots who wibble and dribble about how America means everything to them and they'd do anything for America--well, except serve in public office and take the pay cut. That goes for Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh (who's candidly admitted it), too. These characters will wax poetic about the boys who sacrificed their lives in the first wave at Omaha Beach and Iwo Jima, but won't sacrifice mere pelf, themselves. Low-minded greedy scum, they are.

although thats not saying much. Feingold's other opponents are not well known and far to the right so he should be re-elected without a problem. Assuming our elections stay clean.

It means it will be a tough race and that Feingold's reelection is not "safe", that's all. I think that in the end Feingold can beat Thompson because I know of Republicans here who do vote for Feingold much like they voted for Senator Proxmire in the past.

Ultimately it may come down to if Thompson at this stage of his life would want to become a junior senator at the bottom of the heap and miss out on a ton of money that he is making now.

One big thing is that the current Democratic governor, Doyle, is very unpopular here (34% approval rating) and he is the person who replaced Thompson as governor after he did not run and Doyle is not running this time. Thompson could run an anti-incumbent campaign against Feingold and still bring up how he was better and more popular than Doyle.