Next year, former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., will attempt to win back the Senate seat he lost to Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., six years ago.
After establishing himself as a progressive voice in the Senate for 18 years, Feingold lost his seat to the conservative Johnson in 2010, just as the Tea Party’s momentum was reaching its peak.
Heading into what will be a very busy year on the campaign trail, here is a broad policy comparison between the two candidates as informed by past statements and their extensive Senate voting records.
Education
Feingold has often said affordable higher education is one of his top legislative priorities and has visited UW-Madison multiple times in recent months to talk to students about this issue. He is an advocate of greater federal support for student loans and believes that funding for Pell Grants should be increased.
While both Feingold and Johnson agree the government should not profit from student loans, Johnson has said that loans should not be controlled by government at all.
“I will say the federal government never should have gotten involved in student loan programs,” Johnson said during a town hall meeting in May, Max Croes, communications advisor for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, told Politifact.
I will say the federal government never should have gotten involved in student loan programs.
--U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.
Johnson voted to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education and three other departments in 2013 and supports local control of schools. Feingold has called for an overhaul of programs such as No Child Left Behind, but still believes the federal government plays an important role in K-12 education.
Economy
Johnson and Feingold also have very different positions when it comes to the minimum wage.
Feingold has been one of the most vocal advocates for a $15 minimum wage, signing a public letter that called for the federal government to gradually raise the rate from $7.25 an hour.
“To me, this is fundamental,” Feingold said at a campaign rally in August, first reported by the Wisconsin State Journal. “Low wages mean increased reliance on assistance programs and less purchasing power for customers to buy needed goods and services locally.”
Johnson, on the other hand, opposes a federal minimum wage entirely except for specific guest worker programs that would set a minimum wage for migrant workers.
Johnson also supports President Barack Obama’s proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership, a hotly debated trade agreement that Feingold has advocated against.
Abortion
While state legislators debate bills restricting circumstances in which abortions may be administered, Feingold and Johnson are both passionate about the issue on a federal level.
Johnson has repeatedly voted to eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood, and was a cosponsor of the bill that would cut off government funding for the organization and divert it to other women’s groups. He also cosponsored the Life at Conception Act, which would have established personhood for fertilized eggs.
Feingold had a consistent pro-choice voting record during his time as a senator, and spoke out this August against Johnson’s proposed Planned Parenthood bill.
