Free Republic

Wisconsin car dealer Russ Darrow made his Republican U.S. Senate bid official Thursday, saying he hopes to bump off two-term Democratic incumbent Russ Feingold, whom he labeled as too liberal and out of step with Wisconsin residents. Darrow, 63, will first have to face two other Republicans who also have announced their U.S. Senate bids: state Sen. Bob Welch, 45, and Brownsville businessman Tim Michels, 41. In an interview, Darrow called himself "a grounded kind of guy, a real person who takes care of real people" and touted his business experience as a plus for the Senate job he hopes...

A provision in the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform law aimed at helping candidates compete against self-funding millionaires could help one of the bill's sponsors, Sen. Russ Feingold, in next year's Senate race. The "millionaire's amendment" raises contribution limits for candidates whose opponents finance their own campaigns and outpace them in spending. Two of the three candidates who have filed in Wisconsin's GOP primary, Tim Michels and Russ Darrow, are millionaires. The law could allow Feingold, D-Wis., hold off a barrage of funding if either of them wins the primary and challenges the senator next year. Feingold campaign manager George Aldrich...