Russ Feingold facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Russ Feingold
Feingold in 2015
United States Special Envoy for the African Great Lakes and the Congo-Kinshasa
In office July 18, 2013 – March 6, 2015
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Barrie Walkley
Succeeded by	Tom Perriello
United States Senator from Wisconsin
In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Bob Kasten
Succeeded by	Ron Johnson
Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 27th district
In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Everett Bidwell
Succeeded by	Joseph Wineke
Personal details
Born	Russell Dana Feingold (1953-03-02) March 2, 1953 (age 72) Janesville, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Sue Levine ​ ​ (m. 1977; div. 1986)​ Mary Speerschneider ​ ​ (m. 1991; div. 2005)​ Christine Ferdinand ​ (m. 2013)​
Children	2
Education	University of Wisconsin–Madison (BA) Magdalen College, Oxford (BA) Harvard University (JD)
Signature

Russell Dana Feingold (born March 2, 1953) is an American politician and lawyer. He was a U.S. Senator for Wisconsin from 1993 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Before becoming a U.S. Senator, he served as a Wisconsin State Senator from 1983 to 1993.

Russ Feingold is known for working with John McCain on a law called the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. This law aimed to change how money is used in political campaigns. He also received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award with McCain in 1999. Feingold was the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act in 2001.

After his time in the Senate, he became a special envoy for the U.S. to the African Great Lakes region. In 2020, he became the president of the American Constitution Society.

Early Life and Education

Russ Feingold was born in Janesville, Wisconsin. His family came from Russia and Galicia. His father was a lawyer, and his mother worked at a title company. Russ was one of four children. His father and older brother helped shape his political views when he was young.

He volunteered for political campaigns during his youth. After high school, Feingold attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He earned a degree in political science in 1975. He was a top student and a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.

Feingold then studied at Magdalen College, Oxford in England as a Rhodes Scholar. He earned another degree there in 1977. Later, he went to Harvard Law School and received his law degree in 1979. After law school, he worked as a lawyer at private firms until 1985.

Political Career

Wisconsin State Senate

In 1982, Russ Feingold was elected to the Wisconsin Senate. He served there for ten years. This was before he was elected to the U.S. Senate.

U.S. Senate Service

2009 official portrait of Feingold

Feingold served as a U.S. Senator for Wisconsin for 18 years. He was known for his independent approach to politics. Many people saw him as a "maverick" because he often took his own path.

First Election in 1992

Feingold started his U.S. Senate career in 1992. He ran against the sitting Republican Senator, Bob Kasten. Feingold was not well-known at first. He made five promises on his garage door, calling it a "contract" with Wisconsin voters. One promise was to get most of his campaign money from Wisconsin citizens. He also promised to hold a "listening session" in each of Wisconsin's 72 counties every year.

He even used an Elvis Presley impersonator in an advertisement. His opponent responded with another Elvis impersonator. Feingold won the election by focusing on his unique style. He beat Kasten with 53% of the vote.

Re-election Campaigns

In 1998, Feingold ran for re-election. He limited how much money he would spend on his campaign. He pledged not to spend more than $3.8 million. This was one dollar for every person in Wisconsin. He even asked some groups not to run ads supporting him. He won this election by a small margin.

In 2004, Feingold won his third term as senator. He defeated Republican businessman Tim Michels. This time, he did not limit his campaign spending. He spent almost $11 million.

Later Elections

In 2010, Feingold lost his re-election bid to Ron Johnson. He ran again for his old Senate seat in 2016. He was once again defeated by Ron Johnson.

Key Work in the Senate

Feingold was a member of several important committees. These included the Budget Committee, the Judiciary Committee, and the Foreign Relations Committee. He also served on the Select Committee on Intelligence.

Feingold signs up as a member of Working America, August 4, 2008.

He was known for being a very liberal or progressive senator. He often took positions that were more liberal than other Democrats.

Campaign Finance Reform

One of Feingold's most famous achievements was his work with Senator John McCain. They created the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. This law, also known as the McCain–Feingold Act, aimed to change how political campaigns are funded. It took seven years to pass.

Patriot Act

Feingold speaking on the Senate floor about his opposition to the Patriot Act, October 25, 2001.

In 2001, Feingold was the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act. He believed that parts of the law could limit people's freedoms. When the law was up for renewal in 2005, Feingold led a group of senators to try and change some of its parts. He even led a filibuster to stop its renewal.

Iraq War

Feingold was one of only 23 senators who voted against using military force in Iraq in 2002. In 2005, he was the first senator to ask for U.S. troops to leave Iraq. He suggested a deadline for their withdrawal.

Health Care Policy

Feingold in 2005.

Feingold supported the idea of universal health care for all Americans. He voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2009. This law aimed to make health care more available to people.

Gun Policy

Feingold has supported some gun control laws. He voted for bills that would require background checks for gun buyers. He also supported requiring handguns to be sold with trigger locks.

Social Issues

In 1996, Feingold voted against the Defense of Marriage Act. This law defined marriage as between a man and a woman. In 2006, he stated that he supported the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Post-Senate Career

After leaving the Senate in 2011, Feingold became a visiting professor at Marquette University Law School. He also wrote a book called While America Sleeps: A Wake-Up Call to the Post-9/11 World.

Feingold received encouragement to run for governor of Wisconsin in the 2012 recall election, but declined to run

In 2011, Feingold started a group called Progressives United. This group aimed to support candidates who believed in progressive ideas.

As special representative, Feingold meets with UK Foreign Office Minister Mark Simmonds

In 2013, he was appointed as the U.S. Special Representative for the African Great Lakes region. He worked on issues in that part of Africa until 2015.

In 2019, Feingold joined the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One. In 2020, he was named president of the American Constitution Society.

Personal Life

Russ Feingold lives in Middleton, Wisconsin. He has two children. He has been married three times. In 2013, he married Dr. Christine Ferdinand.

In 2011, he received a Freedom Medal from the Roosevelt Institute.

Images for kids

• 

  Man holding sign reading "Russ 4 Governor"

• 

  Sign in a crowd of protesters reading "Russ: help!!!"