Johnson and his grassroots army of volunteers surpassed one-million voter contacts.
Meanwhile, Senator Feingold and his hypocrisy-soaked campaign coffers surpassed the $500,000 mark in bundled lobbyist contributions.
Feingold’s incessant desire to go back to Washington explains why he went from a state senator who wouldn’t even accept a cup of coffee from lobbyists to a fired perennial candidate who welcomes $541,030.28 from their checkbooks.
The self-proclaimed "number one enemy of Washington lobbyists" transformed into the number one fan of Washington lobbyists – and therefore, into everything he hated before embarking on an eighth campaign for political office.
FEINGOLD FLASHBACK:
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In 1992, Feingold’s Colleague In The Wisconsin State Senate Said Feingold Wouldn’t Even Accept A Cup Of Coffee From A Lobbyist. (Michael Abramowitz, “The Foreseen Rise Of Russ Feingold,” The Washington Post, 11/30/92)
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In 2007, Feingold Said “Our Priority Must Be To Convince Our Constituents That We Are Here To Advocate Their Best Interests, Not Those Of Well-Connected Lobbyists.” (Jeff Zeleny and Carl Hulse, “Congress Backs Tighter Rules On Lobbying,” The New York Times, 8/3/07)
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In 2007, Feingold Said “The Public Is Well Aware That Washington Lobbyists Have Too Much Influence In Congress.” (Sen. Russ Feingold, “Sen. Feingold Issues Statement On Landmark Lobbying And Ethics Reform Bill Becoming Law,” Press Release, 9/14/07)
- In A 2010 Campaign Ad, Feingold Called Himself “The Number One Enemy Of Washington Lobbyists.” (Russ Feingold For Senate, “New Feingold Campaign Ad: ‘Number One,’” Press Release, 10/5/10)
Feingold Passes $500,000 in Bundled Lobbyist Contributions
The Washington Free Beacon
By Joe Schoffstall
August 2, 2016
http://bit.ly/2aQyJvN
Russ Feingold, the former Democratic senator from Wisconsin who is attempting to regain the seat he lost in 2010, has now collected more than a half million dollars worth of bundled lobbyist contributions despite previously positioning himself on the front lines of campaign finance reform.
Feingold, who spent 18 years in Congress before being defeated by Republican Sen. Ron Johnson six years ago, added $129,883.28 in bundled lobbyist contributions to Russ for Wisconsin, his campaign committee, from April 1 to June 30. Between July 1 and July 20, which is marked as “pre-primary” filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), his campaign committee saw an additional $20,846 pour in from lobbyists.
The latest contributions going into to Feingold’s campaign committee have come from registered lobbyists at just three far-left D.C.-based groups.
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He has now accepted $541,030.28 in bundled lobbyist contributions to date.
Feingold taking more than a half-million dollars from special interest groups is at odds with his former rhetoric throughout his entire political career.
When Feingold was serving as a state senator in Wisconsin in 1992, one colleague said that Feingold would not even accept a cup of coffee from a lobbyist.
Feingold later led the charge on campaign finance reform in the U.S. Senate by pushing for stricter ethics legislation that included a requirement for politicians to disclose bundled lobbyist contributions.
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As Congress backed the stricter disclosures, Feingold said that Congress should put the interests of their constituents before lobbyist groups.
“Regardless of how reforms might impact us, our priority must be to convince our constituents that we are here to advocate their best interests, not those of well-connected lobbyists,” he said in August 2007.
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Feingold has also held fundraisers this election cycle at venues he said are used for lobbyists to buy influence.
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