Six months ago, it appeared that three-term incumbent U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin, could be fairly certain he would retain his seat, but with the election just days away, Feingold is in for the toughest battle of his career.
Polls show his Republican opponent, political newcomer and Oshkosh businessman Ron Johnson, consistently leading Feingold.
Aside from clashing on nearly every major issue, from health care to foreign policy, Feingold and Johnson have run vastly different campaigns.
In the past few weeks, it has been difficult not to find Feingold on the campaign trail. He has run a mostly grassroots campaign and has attended events all over the state.
""Senator Feingold has always stayed connected and been accessible to voters,"" campaign spokesperson John Kraus said.
Johnson, on the other hand, has made limited appearances and has yet to visit UW-Madison, a routine stop for nearly every other major candidate this election season.
Emphasizing his business savvy, Johnson has used his lack of political experience as away to appeal to the anti-incumbent sentiment that has swept the country.
UW-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin said this is an effective strategy for Johnson, given his campaign inexperience. ""He has more to lose by unscripted public appearances,"" Franklin said.
Johnson has mainly relied on television advertisements to get his message of smaller government and fiscal responsibility across to voters.
""This race is about bringing jobs back to Wisconsin,"" campaign spokesperson Sara Sendek said.
Feingold and Johnson have also spent much of their time slinging negative accusations at each other. Johnson has stressed that Feingold is a career politician and is out of touch with Wisconsin's needs.
Feingold has framed Johnson's campaign as one that is controlled by special interests and claims that Johnson, a multi-millionaire entrepreneur, is trying to buy the election. He has also said Johnson represents the far right and does not have the experience to be a senator.
It is unclear whether these labeling attempts are sticking with voters. ""Neither campaign has done an extremely effective job of painting the worst of the other campaign,"" Franklin said. He added that no charge has been extremely damaging because both candidates have been able to diffuse these criticisms.
One characteristic of both candidates is their tendency to distance themselves from their respective parties.
Prominent Democrats have visited Wisconsin recently to campaign for the party's candidates, but Feingold has generally stayed away from them. Out of the five major recent Democratic visits to the state, he has appeared at two of them.
He did attend the Moving America Forward rally with President Barack Obama and a fundraiser with First Lady Michelle Obama. However, he did not appear with Democrats such as Vice President Joe Biden and Democratic National Committee Chair Tim Kaine.
Franklin said he was not surprised. ""Feingold has always delighted in the maverick or independent image,"" he said. ""He seems quite willing to roll the dice on the strength of his own campaign and not take outside support.""
Similarly, not one leading Republican has campaigned for Johnson. Although figures such as Bobby Jindal and Mitt Romney have come to Wisconsin to stump for Republican gubernatorial candidate Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, Johnson has not brought in the same kind of national support.
The Tea Party movement was essential to the Johnson campaign early on, according to Franklin. However, he said the Tea Party has been less critical to the race because Johnson is now running a more conventional campaign and trying to sway independents.
Tuesday night's result may show whether a campaign based on constant or limited public visibility is most effective with Wisconsin voters.
