U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (Photo: Andrew Beckett)
Following a day of speeches talking about how important it is for him to retain his seat in Washington, delegates at the Republican Party of Wisconsin’s state convention in Green Bay on Saturday endorsed U.S. Senator Ron Johnson’s bid for a second term in office.
Johnson is facing a re-election battle against Democrat Russ Feingold, who held the seat for 18 years before Johnson defeated him in the 2010 election.
Speaking to the convention, Johnson stressed that he’s the same person he was when he was elected six years ago, although his concerns about government overreach have gotten worse. “This nation is in peril…it’s why I ran in 2010, I was panicked for this nation. I’ve been doing this now for six years…I don’t like to report this, but today I am more panicked for this nation.”
Johnson said voters would have a clear choice in November, with him as someone with a business background who knows how to grow the economy and get the government out of the way, versus Feingold who he described as a “career politician” who knows how to “grow government.”
In a statement, Feingold campaign spokesman Michael Tyler said “Wisconsin voters have had enough of insider Republicans putting corporate special interests ahead of middle class and working families. Sen. Johnson refuses to listen to the people of Wisconsin and he doesn’t fight for them…The people of Wisconsin want someone in the senate who will listen to them and put their needs first, and that is clearly Russ Feingold and not Sen. Johnson.”