Via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Democrat Russ Feingold has decided he will not be a candidate for political office next year, taking himself out of the running in 2012 for either U.S. senator or for governor in the event Democrats force a recall election against Republican Gov. Scott Walker.In an email going out to supporters early Friday morning, Feingold called it a difficult decision but said he wanted to devote his time to teaching full time at Marquette Law School, finishing the book he is writing on the U.S. response to the Sept. 11 attacks and leading the political committee he founded, Progressives United.
"While I may seek elective office again someday, I have decided not to run for public office during 2012," Feingold said in the email.
This doesn't come as a huge surprise, as most of Feingold's public statements ever since Sen. Herb Kohl announced his retirement didn't make him sound particularly enthused about running for office again. Feingold had posted the strongest poll numbers among Democrats for the Senate race, but he benefitted considerably from high name recognition. Several other Dems are interested in running, though, including Reps. Tammy Baldwin and Ron Kind, and ex-Rep. Steve Kagen, among others. While PPP's most recent numbers are less rosy for this trio, the race is still early (and the Republican with the biggest leads, ex-Gov. Tommy Thompson, starts off with a considerable name rec advantage).
On the gubernatorial side, the picture is similar, with PPP showing Feingold in the strongest position among potential Democrats who could take on Gov. Scott Walker in a possible recall. Again, though, should Democrats pursue such a recall, other candidates are waiting in the wings who would make the race competitive, like Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (who ran for governor last year). Put another way: Given Feingold's overall reticence these past several months, I doubt that anyone seriously contemplating a Walker recall would be relying on a Feingold-dependent strategy.
So Democrats do indeed lose the guy who had been polling best, but Feingold wasn't without his drawbacks: His reluctance to engage in negative campaigning and his general distaste for outside money ? virtues to some, no doubt ? would also likely have served as hindrances. Now, though, this clears the way for others to ramp up their efforts in earnest. I would expect Baldwin to announce soon, for instance, but I'm sure she won't be alone. We're almost certain to see strong, competitive primaries on both sides, and an intense, close general election next year. This always was going to be a top-tier race, and now we know that, at least on the Dem side, it's going to be wide open.
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