Oshkosh - U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) was in Oshkosh on Monday night for a rally on the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh campus, and charged that Republican challenger Ron Johnson would be a "voice for D.C. lobbyists and special interests."
"The Senate seat will not be bought. It must be earned," Feingold said.
A mostly young crowd of about 200 showed up to support Feingold, who has been trailing in the polls. In an interview afterward, Feingold said his own numbers showed momentum in his favor.
"I rely on my own pollster, and he has been very consistent and the record over the last nine or ten days shows a significant change from what was before. I would say at worst the race is tied at this point. It will depend on turnout, though," Feingold said.
At the event, Feingold stood at a lectern. Nearby, there was an empty lectern with a Ron Johnson placard, symbolizing Johnson's refusal to debate Feingold in his hometown.
The two candidates will meet for the final time in Milwaukee on Friday night for a town-hall-like format. The two had previously debated on Oct. 8 in Milwaukee and Oct. 22 in Wausau.
Asked how he would approach Friday's meeting, Feingold said: "I'm just going to continue to talk about that I've been specific on how to deal with the jobs issue and the spending issue. He's been exposed for hiding, basically only doing a couple of debates, not appearing before editorial boards and never giving anything specific. In fact, he's not going to tell us how he is going to cut spending because he's afraid of being attacked.
Feingold said there was no question Johnson was running out the clock with only two weeks to go in the election. "He's been hiding the whole time," Feingold said. "He never goes into difficult and challenging environments. It is a stealth nomination followed by an attempt to become a stealth senator."
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