Ordinarily, a senator struggling for re-election might have thanked party allies in Washington who launched a costly, hard-hitting round of advertising against a challenger who was too close for comfort.
But not Russ Feingold."They are lousy ads. They are negative. They do not fit my campaign," complained the Wisconsin Democrat, a strong advocate of curbing the role of money in politics.
The ads are further evidence that "both parties are corrupt in terms of trying to buy elections," he added. Democratic leaders in Washington relented and notified television stations to stop running the commercials against Feingold's opponent, conservative Rep. Mark Neumann.
"I'm the first incumbent U.S. senator to ever voluntarily limit their spending," Feingold boasted in Friday night's debate.