Ron Johnson scored the biggest Senate upset of the year on Tuesday night with his victory over Senator Feingold, stunning the political world and helping to put Wisconsin in play for Republican victories up and down the ballot. State and national media reported on Ron’s win and his goals for his second and final term:
Check out what they’re saying:
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson pulled off one of Wisconsin’s great political upsets. Down in the polls nearly every step of the way, Johnson surged in the final weeks and defeated Democrat Russ Feingold in their rematch race Tuesday. … The 61-year-old Oshkosh manufacturer who has now beaten Feingold twice in six years, returns to the Senate for what he has said will be his second and final term. And his victory was a major boost for Republicans trying to keep party control in the Senate.”
Wisconsin State Journal: “Johnson’s victory, his second over Feingold in the last six years, is one of the biggest Wisconsin political upsets in decades. … ‘It’s a big night for Wisconsin, it’s a great night for America,’ Johnson told a crowd of cheering supporters in Oshkosh. ‘We’re going to put America on the right path. We’re going to save this country,’ he said. Johnson said his top priority is the economy; he called for strengthening it through measures such as reducing regulations on businesses. Johnson also declared his next six-year term would be his last.”
Wisconsin Public Radio: “Incumbent Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson has pulled off an upset of former Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold to retain his seat in the U.S. Senate for another six years. Despite Feingold consistently leading in the polls, Johnson was declared the winner of the seat with about 52 percent of the vote to Feingold’s 45 percent Tuesday night, with about 75 percent of precincts reporting. Johnson addressed supporters at a convention center in Oshkosh, thanking his family, staff and volunteers. He said this will be his last term as senator, and he wants to focus on bringing people together.”
CNN: “Ron Johnson has staged an unlikely comeback to win reelection in Wisconsin, according to a CNN projection, closing the door significantly on Democrats’ attempts to win back the Senate. Johnson had been essentially abandoned by national Republicans, with and Democrat Russ Feingold, whom Johnson ousted in 2010, assumed to be the heavy favorite. … In another reflection of Republicans’ stronger-than-expected night, Johnson rallied and solidly rebounded. In the race’s final weeks, money poured into the state as polls tightened.”
Washington Free Beacon: “Johnson was considered such a long shot to win reelection that two months ago D.C.-based Republican groups cancelled money going into the state. Most polls showed Johnson down by eight to twelve points during the summer. However, Johnson’s campaign saved their resources for the final month and a half of the campaign and mounted a last minute comeback to top the former 18-year senator. Throughout the campaign, Johnson ran as an ‘outsider’ within Washington. The senator touted his experience creating jobs as a manufacturer in Wisconsin and regularly hit Feingold over his campaign finance hypocrisy, being the deciding vote on President Obama’s health care law, and for calling Hillary Clinton honest and trustworthy.”
Huffington Post: “Sen. Ron Johnson held on to his Senate seat Tuesday, a major win in a race that was widely projected to go to Democrats. Johnson defeated progressive favorite Russ Feingold, who lost the seat to Johnson in 2010. Feingold consistently led in the polls throughout the race, and Democrats saw it as one of their best opportunities to take a seat back from Republicans. … Re-electing Feingold was also a top priority for progressives, who saw him as one of their top champions when he was in the Senate.”