Feingold Battles BackJohn Nichols
October 19, 2010
Don't write the political obituary for Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold quite yet.
And don't give up on the notion that independent voters might ultimately reject the hyper-partisan appeals of the resurgent Republicans and rally to an independent Democrati in this volatile election year.
Feingold, the progressive maverick who has opposed Democratic and Republican presidents on matters of war, civil liberties and economics, seemed in September to be getting dragged down by a Republican tide that paid no attention to the actual records of candidates.
He was down by double digits in some polls done by national firms. His campaign always argued that the race was closer, and savvy analysts noted that most of the surveys that said the senator was trailing far behind millionaire Republican Ron Johnson were done by Republican-leaning pollsters.
But the polls took their toll.
There was much speculation about whether Feingold was finished. And the speculation continued even after Johnson's lead over Feingold narrowed in several public polls to six or seven points.
Now, however, one of the oldest and most respected polls of Wisconsin voters, the St. Norbert College Survey Center poll, sponsored by Wisconsin Public Radio, has the race narrowing to a toss up.
According to the St. Norbert Survey, it's Johnson 49 percent to Feingold 47 percent. That's well within the margin of error for this -- and other -- surveys, meaning the race can reasonably be described as a toss-up.
Unlike any of the earlier polls that showed Feingold trailing by wide margins, the St. Norbert's survey samples registered voters who are most likely to cast ballots. That should make it a more reliable measure.
Of equal interest are three other details:
1. Feingold's got room for growth in his numbers. Voters who said they were not sure whether they would back Feingold or Johnson were asked who they were leaning toward at this point. Among those who expressed a preference, Feingold led almost 2-1. This suggests that he is better positioned than most incumbents to gain the support of undecided voters who make their choice as Election Day nears.
2. Feingold's focus on trade policy -- a critical difference with Johnson -- appears to be resonating with voters who rank economic concerns far above all others. While Johnson supports free trade policies that polling suggests many Wisconsinites see as a threat to their jobs, Feingold's television advertising has highlighted his record as an opponent of free trade deals such as the North American Free Trade Agreement and the permanent normalization of trade relations with China. Feingold's campaign has highlighted fact that Johnson described trade-related factory closings as "creative destruction" and praised China as a better place to do business than the U.S...
http://www.thenation.com/blog/155472/feingold-battles-back
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