A stark difference from his public comments in 1998 where he placed a self-imposed spending limit on himself… The New York Times said at the time, "it was a matter of practicing what he preaches, or risk being called a hypocrite."
Feingold said the process of raising money made him sick…
“Another reason for the self-imposed limit, he [Feingold] said, was the disgust he felt at begging for money like some political panhandler. ‘It made me sick,’ he said. ‘You’re calling someone you don’t even know and asking them for money.’” – Senator Russ Feingold in 1998
FEINGOLD FLASHBACK:
In 1998, Feingold Imposed A $3.8 Million Spending Limit On His Campaign. “With spending on most American political campaigns seemingly headed toward Pluto, the contest for United States senator in Wisconsin is remarkable for its restraint, including the almost quaint notion that most of the financial donors in a Wisconsin election should actually live in Wisconsin. For Senator Russell D. Feingold, a Democrat who sponsored the unsuccessful recent measure to curb campaign spending, it was a matter of practicing what he preaches, or risk being called a hypocrite. … Mr. Feingold, who is making the bigger sacrifice — an incumbent senator can be a fund-raising machine — has promised to spend no more than $3.8 million, less than half of what Paul Wellstone spent on his successful 1996 Senate race in neighboring Minnesota, a state with fewer people.” (Dirk Johnson, “2 In A Wisconsin Race Put Limits On Coffers,” The New York Times, 9/23/98)
Feingold Said One Of The Reasons For His Self-Imposed Spending Limit Was Fundraising “Made Me Sick.” “Another reason for the self-imposed limit, he said, was the disgust he felt at begging for money like some political panhandler. ‘It made me sick,’ he said. ‘You’re calling someone you don’t even know and asking them for money.’” (Dirk Johnson, “2 In A Wisconsin Race Put Limits On Coffers,” The New York Times, 9/23/98)