Wisconsin’s Kohl to Retire from Senate

[Judi Lynn]

Source: New York Times

May 13, 2011, 11:41 am
Wisconsin’s Kohl to Retire from Senate
By CARL HULSE

Senator Herb Kohl, the four-term Democrat from Wisconsin, is to announce Friday that he will not seek re-election, making him the sixth member of the Democratic caucus to retire and handing his party another competitive open seat to defend.

Democratic officials confirmed the decision of the quiet lawmaker who owns the Milwaukee Bucks and whose name is widely known in Wisconsin from the team ownership as well as the chain of Kohl’s department stores his family formerly owned.

Party leaders had hoped that Mr. Kohl, 76, would run, giving them a proven and popular incumbent in a state that has been roiled politically by the efforts of the new Republican governor and legislature to rein in public unions and pursue a conservative agenda. Given his personal wealth, he would have been able to finance his campaign himself.

~snip~
Because of Mr. Kohl’s popularity, no Republican had yet announced a firm bid though several names had been floated. Among them were Representative Paul D. Ryan, the Budget Committee chairman now in the spotlight over his fiscal proposals. Mr. Ryan had indicated that he was not inclined to purse the Senate seat but could rethink his position with Mr. Kohl stepping aside. Other Republicans mentioned include the state attorney general, J.B. Van Hollen, and former Congressman Mark Neumann, who lost a gubernatorial bid in the 2010 primary.





Read more: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/13/wisconsin...

[PeaceNikki]

1. Kohl is a good person and I will miss him in the Senate.

I am also VERY bothered that this will make FUCKFACE the senior Senator.

[HereSince1628]

5. Kohl was better than a Republican, more or less...

He's another business/corporation loving democrat. I won't go any further in endorsing my sorrow at his retirement than saying that he is and would be very much superior to Paul Ryan, or Van Hollen.

I personally think that Peter Barca would be a great progressive senator. I am not sure we could convince him to run.

[Ian David]

2. Who is he going to be a lobbyist for? n/t

[elfin]

9. Perhaps no lobbying in his future

He has mucho money on his own and may be at the elder stage of his life where he wants to quietly live on his own terms (gay), and out of the spotlight.

[Ian David]

12. Good for him then. n/t

[SteppingRazor]

3. Maybe Russ Feingold should step up. n/t

[SomeGuyInEagan]

7. +1. My first thought as well. n/t

[lobodons]

10. Russ be be Governor this time next year

Russ will not be available to run come 2012. He will be busy bringing back Collective Bargaining rights to Wisconsin public sector workers among other things.

[undeterred]

11. Really hard to tell what Feingold will do.

He has extensive foreign policy experience and I think he was an enormous loss to the Senate on that front as well as in so many other ways. While I would love to have him as governor, I think we have other state senators who are up to it, some of the Wisconsin 14, who got a lot of visibility leaving the state. And I think Feingold really loved being Senator, so I hope he does it again.

We just can't afford to lose this seat.

[Judi Lynn]

4. Wisconsin Sen. Herb Kohl (D) will retire in 2012

Wisconsin Sen. Herb Kohl (D) will retire in 2012

WASHINGTON – Democrat Herb Kohl of Wisconsin announced Friday that he will not seek reelection to a fifth term in the U.S. Senate, saying that it's "time for someone else to serve."

Kohl, 76, was first elected to the Senate in 1988, and serves as chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging.

The low-profile senator's retirement opens up an important seat in a state garnering lots of national attention amid the enactment of controversial anti-union laws.

Progressives are hoping that ousted Sen. Russ Feingold will run for the seat, although a spokesman said the Wisconsin Democrat would not yet comment on his plans. Other rumored Democratic candidates include Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Reps. Ron Kind and Tammy Baldwin.

More:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/05/13/wisconsin-sen-her...

[JohnnyRingo]

6. Good timing.

I know little about Kohl, but i can see that he's near the natural end of his prime. Given the political backlash in Wisconsin that is roiling this year in the wake of a Republican flood, the liklihood that he will be replaced by another Democrat is very great.

Russ Feingold is indeed one good choice, but I'm sure there are many other good candidates in that mid-western union stronghold. Whoever emerges the candidate, I'd say they already have plenty of footage available for "opposition campaign" commercials.

[No Elephants]

13. Hope you're right.

[elfin]

8. Betting that the horrid Rethug Atty General Van Hollen (sp?)

will run. Will be hard to beat IMO, given the current hostile climate in this state and the mega$ from Koch to grease his campaign.

Don't think Russ will come to our rescue and the only candidate I can think of with enough name recognition and credibility is Tom Barrett, who lost to Snott. He could do it, but is not known to be enough of a pit bull to really fight against the current evilo residing in today's Rethug. climate. Also, he much prefers to actually live in Milwaukee than return to Washington, where he served as one of our Reps. some time ago.

[No Elephants]

14. Lieberman's barely in the Caucus, but 6 Democrats (so far) retiring from competitive seats is not

good.

Three (so far) on the Republican side-Ensign, Hutchinson and Kyl--doesn't make me want to dance, either.

Member Note
Herb Kohl, D-Wis. Announced retirement on May 13, 2011.
John Ensign, R-Nev. Resigned effective May 3, 2011.
Daniel K. Akaka, D-Hawaii Announced retirement on March 2, 2011.
Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M. Announced retirement on Feb. 18, 2011.
Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. Announced retirement on Feb. 10, 2011.
Jim Webb, D-Va. Announced retirement on Feb. 9, 2011.
Joseph I. Lieberman, I-Conn. Announced retirement on Jan. 19, 2011.
Kent Conrad, D-N.D. Announced retirement on Jan. 18, 2011.
Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Tex. Announced retirement on Jan. 13, 2011.