Posted on 04/14/2010 7:50:00 AM PDT by LdSentinal
Former Gov. Tommy Thompson (R) will not challenge Sen. Russ Feingold (D) for re-election this year, reports a Wisconsin media outlet.
The Web site of Milwaukee radio station WTMJ said Wednesday morning that an unnamed source "who is close with Thompson's family" said "he believes Thompson's decision is not to run."
Though Thompson is pushing back against the report, telling the Associated Press: "The only person who knows what I'm going to do is myself and I don't know what I'm going to do," a GOP source tells CQ Politics that Thompson will not run.
Thompson, who served as governor from 1987 to 2001 and then as President Bush's first Health and Human Services secretary, had been weighing a campaign against Feingold for months and ran about even with the senator in early polls.
Thompson ran for president in 2008 and has flirted with running for the Senate before. He's been making a good living in the private sector since leaving public life.
Republicans eyeing the seat include real estate developer Terrence Wall, former brewing company executive Dick Leinenkugel and businessman Dave Westlake.
CQ Politics presently rates the Wisconsin Senate race as Safe Democratic. Ratings are subject to change.
Hoping the source is incorrect.
If true, that’s a disappointment.
We could have used that seat.
Thompson says he hasn’t decided yet and will announce his decision tomorrow.
http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/90833059.html
WI is still trying to atone for Joe McCarthy, who was proved right by something called the Venona Papers, ignored by historians and the popular media. People in WI truly believe in Feingold. They are also still waiting for the checks in the mail.
And for all those union jobs at the AMC plant in Kenosha to come back, too.
I guess my last way of putting it was a bit crass. Make a decision Tommy and quit the hand wringing.
Better now than later. He would leave a vacuum if he should hold off and then decide to not run after all.
I would love to see Cong. Paul Ryan run for this seat. He would win it easily and would make a much better candidate than Thompson.
The GOP has a chance to seize the moment, if several of the high profile fence sitters had the guts to take on supposedly “unbeatable” Dems. Thompson is one case. Giuliani and Pataki in NY are the others. Those two seem more interested in getting media flattery as potential Presidential candidates, than in rolling up their sleeves and taking on Schumer and Gillibrand. Both seats are winnable and now is the moment.
And that could very well be a true statement..... Six years in Washington is a long time, and can play havoc on your life... a person has to have a particular passion in his/her belly to want to run with all those immoral wimps in congress who don't read the bills they vote for or have the guts to stand up for what is right.
And I don't think his wife wants him to run either
Pataki bailed on the NY seat this morning giving the Dem. a pretty clear path. We need Thompson to run in Wis. and Rossi in WA.
Wish Paul Ryan would take on putz Feingold.
The sad thing is Rasmussen this A.M. shows Gillibrand beating just any generic Republican by only 1 point. Pataki could have walked right into this seat. Peter King would be a good second choice to likely pick up this seat if he'd run. But I don't ever underestimate the utterly FUBARed NY State GOP to completely screw this up and miss an opportunity at another Senate seat pick up, one which could be the key to Senate control. If Gillibrand wins, she'll own this seat for life.
When opportunity knocks for the GOP, quite often there is no one home it seems.
Should the Republican Party be too fearful to run a credible opponent, why not a Tea Party candidate?
Who do you have in mind? Terrence Wall is running as a Republican, and holding Fiengold below 50%.
No he hasn’t, Thompson is to attend a Tea Party in Madison tommorrow Apr 15th.Thompson’s made no statement about runing except this: I’ve made no decision...same source for this posting Charley Syke’s WTMJ am 620 show. If you listened to the show Syke’s repeats this; “We’ll know tommorrow” .
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.