Russ Feingold

Wisconsin traditions and Wisconsin politics have been central to Senator Russ Feingold's life. In 1917, his family settled in Janesville, Wisconsin, where Feingold was born to parents Leon and Sylvia on March 2, 1953. Growing up in Janesville, Feingold's political views were shaped by discussions at the family dinner table and his father's early involvement in the Progressive Movement.

In his first try for an elective position at age 29, Feingold defeated a longtime incumbent to take the seat in the Wisconsin State Senate. Feingold was re-elected in 1986, and in 1990 faced no opponent for re-election to a four-year term.

When Feingold first ran for the U.S. Senate in 1992, he won a tough three-way primary with 70 percent of the vote, and went on to defeat two-term incumbent Robert Kasten. In 1998, after keeping his historic pledge to limit his campaign spending to $1 per voter, and disallowing party soft money from being spent on his behalf, Feingold defeated Congressman Mark Neumann to win a second term.

Feingold looks to Wisconsin's values to guide his work in the U.S. Senate-the state's tradition of progressive politics and civility in government, and its history of respect for the public dollar.

Feingold works to carry forward the legacy of Wisconsin leaders like Bob La Follette and Gaylord Nelson by fighting for better wages, protecting Social Security and Medicare, supporting Wisconsin's farmers, safeguarding the environment and striving for the best in public education and quality health care.

Feingold has been recognized repeatedly by both the Concord Coalition and Taxpayers for Common Sense for his efforts to cut wasteful spending. His campaign to reign in government waste goes hand-in-hand with his work to clean up the federal campaign finance system, a bipartisan effort he leads with Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona.Photo of Russ Feingold speaking while John McCain looks on

In an effort to ensure the civil rights of all Americans, Feingold has introduced legislation to study the problem of racial profiling on U.S. roadways, and he has authored a bill to enact a moratorium on the death penalty so that a commission can examine, among other potential problems, the role of racial discrimination in the application of capital punishment.

As a member of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, Feingold works to make human rights concerns a higher priority in U.S. foreign policy. He also serves on the Senate Budget Committee, the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the Senate's Special Committee on Aging.

Feingold has two daughters, Jessica and Ellen, and his wife, Mary Feingold, has two sons, Sam and Ted Speerschneider. The Feingolds live in Middleton, Wisconsin.