Free Republic

Even though voters often cite competence as a political candidate's most desirable quality, their decisions about which candidates are competent and which are not can rest on as little as a quick glance at a photograph, researchers are reporting. Moreover, this quick inference can be used to accurately predict the results of an election, according to the study, published in the June 10 issue of Science. "We have found that these judgments occur extremely quickly and are highly automatic," said Crystal Hall, a graduate student in psychology and a co-author of the study. ..."Based on that finding, it is hard...

National GOP makes last-minute $600,000 pledge to Michels JR ROSS Associated Press MADISON, Wis. - National Republicans pledged Thursday to cover $600,000 in expenses for Tim Michels in his bid to unseat Sen. Russ Feingold, just two weeks after they backed off plans to spend twice that much on TV ads for his campaign. Michels trumpeted the announcement as a sign that the National Republican Senatorial Committee believed his race with Feingold had tightened and was winnable. Feingold spokesman John Kraus downplayed the development, saying infusing new money into the race would have little impact with just five days...

(Waukesha) Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tim Michels today unveiled a new 30-second television ad that raises questions about Russ Feingold’s commitment to issues that are critically important to Wisconsin citizens. “Unlike Russ Feingold, who has spent much of his time in Washington on campaign finance reform, I will focus my time on important issues like creating jobs, keeping our country safe and making health care affordable for all citizens,” Michels said. Consider: On jobs, Russ Feingold stood by as the state lost more than 80,000 manufacturing jobs. Russ Feingold voted against tax cuts that have spurred the beginning of an...

"Russ better watch out." That remark was heard more than once from Democratic activists and others after Republican business executive Tim Michels' surprisingly strong victory in the U.S. Senate primary Sept. 14. Michels buried his better-known opponents, state Sen. Bob Welch, R-Redgranite, and car dealer Russ Darrow, immediately drawing the attention of senior national Republican strategists. If Bush can win Wisconsin, they figure, Michels can come in on the president's coattails, knocking off Feingold and building the Republicans' slim margin in the U.S. Senate. For Feingold, Michels is a more serious challenge than either Darrow or Welch would have offered...

PLEASE FReep this poll: www.wisopinion.com The best candidate for the United States (and for Wisconsin) is Tim Michels!!! Look for the right-hand column, and scroll just a touch to hit the poll.

But Michels still has time, pollster saysLess than six weeks before the election, two new polls show U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) holding a lead over Republican challenger Tim Michels, in part by drawing significant support from voters who also support President Bush. In a Badger Poll released Thursday, Feingold led Michels 53% to 38% among probable voters, with 9% undecided or giving other answers. The poll was conducted by the University of Wisconsin Survey Center and sponsored by the Journal Sentinel and the Capital Times in Madison. An ABC News poll from earlier in the week showed a tighter...

Michels' margin of victory brings national GOP backing Nominee already trading barbs with Feingold National Republican leaders were making tentative promises Wednesday to provide Tim Michels with new resources and support, a day after the construction executive and former Army officer from Oconomowoc captured the party's U.S. Senate nomination by storm. Michels' primary victory sets up a November showdown of crystal-clear contrast with two-term Democratic incumbent Sen. Russ Feingold. "This is a race of national significance. That's why I'm here today," said Ed Gillespie, chairman of the Republican National Committee, standing beside Michels and two of his fallen challengers at...

Being a Freeper for 4 years...not sure I am doing this right, but hoping to get a chat going for the Wisconsin Primary results. Polls closed a few minutes ago at 8pm CST. Big race#1: Who will challenge Russ Feingold for Senate this year. There is a decent chance to unseat the guy. Strong 3-way race between two millionaires (Russ Darrow, Tim Michels) and Bob Welch (state assembly) Big race#2: A liberal Republican who was majority speaker of the State Senate is being challenged by a conservative assembly person. Glen Grothman vs. Mary Panzer. At stake is the direction of...

For the following slate of Republican challengers for Senate this fall, please tell me whether you are familiar with each candidate or not. Are you familiar with… Familiar With NOT Familiar With Don’t Know Refused Q7a. Russ Darrow 55% 44% 1% 0% Q7b. Tim Michels 17 84 0 0 Q7c. Bob Welch 46 52 2 0 Q7d. Robert Lorge 14 85 1 0 If the election were held today, which of the Republican candidates would you like to see in the general election against Senator Feingold? (Note: the names were randomly rotated, i.e., Russ Darrow was not the first person...

MILWAUKEE -- Campaign commercials, debates, fundraisers and signature drives are the bread and butter of campaigns, but Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Russ Darrow has added a twist. More than 600 people crowded the Pabst Theater last night to see a ``movie premiere,'' which amounted to a roughly nine-minute, commercial criticizing Democratic U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold’s voting record and positioning Darrow as “the right Russ” for Wisconsin. The Darrow ``movie'' claimed Feingold's moves to reform campaign finance reform were motivated by ambition and had done nothing to help the state's economy. It panned Feingold's annual 72-county ``listening sessions'' and claimed Feingold...

It sounds almost too good to be true. State Sen. Bob Welch raised better than half a million dollars last year in his bid to challenge U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold this fall, yet his campaign paid staffers for its fund-raiser, Gateway Ventures, a mere $1,400 in 2003. How could a campaign spend so little to raise so much? Welch's folks chalk it up to being stingy with their checkbook. "We're as frugal with our (campaign) expenditures as Bob is with Wisconsinites' tax dollars," the Welch camp said in a statement issued earlier this year. But look at Welch's state campaign...

Attention Wisconsin FReepers - the Russ Darrow website is up and running. Please help the ONLY GOP Candidate that CAN DEFEAT Russ Feingold. The ONLY candidate with 38 years of business experience--starting a business from scratch--he did not inherit a dime! The ONLY candidate with the name ID THROUGHOUT the State, which is needed against to build support. The ONLY candidate with the Funding to run the campaign that is needed to defeat an incumbent like Feingold. The ONLY candidate with Lt. Gov. Margaret Farrow out CAMPAIGNING on his behalf, it is nice to have endorsements but if they do...

Attention Wisconsin FReepers - the Tim Michels website is up and running. Please make a donation to this fine individual as he takes out the reprehensible and socialist Russ Feingold. President Bush Sr., First Lady Barbara Bush, and Tim Michels Tim Michels has an extensive business and military background. Business - Co-owner and Vice President of Michels Corporation, Brownsville, Wisconsin. - Member of IBAW, NFIB, and numerous trade organizations representing the construction industry - Executive Committee for the Transportation Development Association, Wisconsin (TDA) - Worked on the trading floors at the Chicago Board of Trade Military - Twelve years of...

DARROW TOPS $2.27 MILLION MARK IN RACE TO UNSEAT FEINGOLD Darrow Campaign Almost Doubles Number of Donors WAUKESHA, WI – United States Senate Candidate Russ Darrow released an unofficial estimate today that his campaign will report raising more than $2.27 million on his March 31 FEC report. Of that amount, Darrow will report raising an estimated $1.26 million from individuals, with more than $300,000 raised from individuals in the first quarter of this year alone. “My commitment to creating jobs, fighting for lower taxes, keeping our borders secure and making our health care more affordable is resonating with the voters...

WAUKESHA COUNTY EXECUTIVE DAN FINLEY ENDORSES RUSS DARROW FOR U.S. SENATE WAUKESHA, WI – This morning Waukesha County Executive Dan Finley endorsed Republican Russ Darrow in his race for the United States Senate. “The people of Waukesha County need a U.S. Senator who will focus on creating more meaningful jobs here in Wisconsin,” said Finley. “Russ Darrow has spent the last thirty-eight years of his life building a business from scratch into one of the largest auto dealerships in the state that currently employees 950 people. That is the job creation experience that the working families of Wisconsin need in...

WAUKESHA COUNTY EXECUTIVE DAN FINLEY ENDORSES RUSS DARROW FOR U.S. SENATE WAUKESHA, WI – This morning Waukesha County Executive Dan Finley endorsed Republican Russ Darrow in his race for the United States Senate. “The people of Waukesha County need a U.S. Senator who will focus on creating more meaningful jobs here in Wisconsin,” said Finley. “Russ Darrow has spent the last thirty-eight years of his life building a business from scratch into one of the largest auto dealerships in the state that currently employees 950 people. That is the job creation experience that the working families of Wisconsin need in...

Washington - Amid a lot of bitter venting on both sides, Pennsylvania Republican Arlen Specter defended last week's marathon Senate debate on the blocking of a handful of Bush judicial nominees. "We're trying to make C-SPAN the channel of choice," said Specter, who called the round-the-clock speech-a-thon "even more interesting than the soaps." North Dakota Democrat Byron Dorgan suggested C-SPAN watchers were having a different reaction - that we're "just a bunch of windbags in blue suits." When it comes to the war over federal judges, there's virtually nothing the two parties agree on. Not who's right and who's wrong....

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...

WASHINGTON -- Wisconsin businessman Tim Michels said he's running for U.S. Senate. Michels is a Republican and joins Republican state Sen. Bob Welch in the battle to take on U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold next year. Michels said he's raised $200,000 so far. Feingold, a Democrat, had $1.9 million as of June 30. The 41-year-old Michels said his campaign's main theme will be national security.

Multi-millionaire businessman Tim Michels said today he has not made a final decision as to whether he will challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, but in an interview with WisPolitics.com, he sounded very much like a candidate. "I would give this campaign my all-out effort," Michels said, only elaborating that he would make a final decision "soon." "We're strongly encouraged by all of the response we're getting as we look to all the various sectors throughout the state -- people on Main Street, significant people within the Party, as well as long term supporters of the Party," said Michels, who...