Stand up for the facts!

Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.

More Info

I would like to contribute

$
Russ Feingold

Russ Feingold

Russ Feingold served as a Democratic U.S. Senator representing Wisconsin from 1992 until 2010, when he was defeated for re-election. An attorney, he previously served 10 years in the Wisconsin Legislature. Following his Senate defeat, he founded Progressives United, which says it mission is to "stand up to the exploding corporate influence in our political system by organizing and amplifying the voices of those who believe that corporations have too much power." Feingold is running against U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, the man who defeated him, in the 2016 election.

Russ Feingold Website

Scorecard

true
0% 3 Checks
mostly true
0% 5 Checks
half true
0% 7 Checks
mostly false
0% 2 Checks
false
0% 4 Checks
Pants on Fire
0% 1 Checks
For more details, see the Principles of PolitiFact

Latest Fact-Checks By Russ Feingold

Clear
Russ Feingold
Russ Feingold
stated on October 7, 2016 a debate
Social Security "was basically invented" at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; "that's where Franklin Roosevelt got the idea."
True
By Jonathan Anderson • December 16, 2016
Russ Feingold
Russ Feingold
stated on October 27, 2016 a meeting with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board.
Says Ron Johnson "is benefiting from several super PACs, I am not."
False
By Cara Lombardo • November 3, 2016
Russ Feingold
Russ Feingold
stated on October 26, 2016 a radio ad
Says Donald Trump and Ron Johnson "oppose a woman's right to choose and Johnson voted against the Violence Against Women Act."
Mostly True
November 3, 2016
Russ Feingold
Russ Feingold
stated on October 6, 2016 a meeting with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board.
Says U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson "doesn't even believe that there's a man-made role in climate change."
Mostly True
By Cara Lombardo • October 31, 2016
Russ Feingold
Russ Feingold
stated on September 6, 2016 a radio ad
Says Ron Johnson "has essentially done nothing" to fight heroin addiction and opioid abuse.
False
October 26, 2016
Russ Feingold
Russ Feingold
stated on October 7, 2016 an interview
Says Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally, has "paid to export throughout the world" Wahhabism -- "an extreme form of Islam" that basically teaches "Americans are the devil."
Mostly True
October 21, 2016
Russ Feingold
Russ Feingold
stated on September 26, 2016 a TV ad
Says Ron Johnson "helped companies ship jobs overseas."
False
October 5, 2016
Russ Feingold
Russ Feingold
stated on June 14, 2016 in a campaign ad
Says Ron Johnson gave himself a $10 million 'sweetheart corporate payout'
Half-True
By Eric Litke • September 9, 2016
Russ Feingold
Russ Feingold
stated on June 14, 2016 a TV ad
Says Ron Johnson "voted five times for tax breaks that help companies ship Wisconsin jobs overseas."
False
By Alison Dirr • August 26, 2016
Russ Feingold
Russ Feingold
stated on May 9, 2016 a news conference
Says Ron Johnson justifies his support of trade agreements by saying the U.S. has the Trade Adjustment Assistance program for displaced workers, but then he "voted to eliminate it."
Mostly False
By Jonathan Anderson • July 6, 2016
Russ Feingold
Russ Feingold
stated on June 3, 2016 a speech
Says Ron Johnson referred to "The Lego Movie" as an "insidious anti-business conspiracy."
Half-True
By Eric Litke • June 24, 2016
Russ Feingold
Russ Feingold
stated on June 3, 2016 a speech
The average student debt "coming out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison is something like 28,000 dollars."
Mostly True
By Sarah Hauer • June 17, 2016
Russ Feingold
Russ Feingold
stated on January 26, 2016 an interview
Says U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson wants to put 100,000 troops, including 25,000 Americans, "into the area where ISIS is."
Half-True
January 29, 2016
Russ Feingold
Russ Feingold
stated on November 12, 2015 an interview
"Ron Johnson said specifically that he hopes the first steps occur to privatize the" Veterans Administration.  
Half-True
November 27, 2015
Russ Feingold
Russ Feingold
stated on August 13, 2015 an interview
On receiving campaign contributions from out-of-state donors
Full Flop
By James B. Nelson • October 28, 2015
Russ Feingold
Russ Feingold
stated on August 18, 2015 a speech
Says Ron Johnson "opposes entirely a federal minimum wage," except perhaps for "guest workers."
True
August 27, 2015
Russ Feingold
Russ Feingold
stated on June 5, 2015 a speech
Says U.S. Senate opponent Ron Johnson "is opposed to all government-assisted student loans."
Mostly True
June 19, 2015
Russ Feingold
Russ Feingold
stated on June 5, 2015 a speech at the state Democratic Party convention
"The United States still ranks 20th in the world in access to broadband -- over 50 percent below the best nations."
Half-True
By Lucas Daprile • June 17, 2015
Russ Feingold
Russ Feingold
stated on October 18, 2010 a campaign rally
Says Ron Johnson "likes to say there are too many lawyers in the Senate – 57. He’d be the 70th millionaire." 
True
By Dave Umhoefer • October 22, 2010
Russ Feingold
Russ Feingold
stated on September 30, 2010 campaign TV and radio ads
"According to independent analysis, unfair trade deals have resulted in the loss of over 64,000 jobs in Wisconsin ... But Ron Johnson favors those deals."
Half-True
By Dave Umhoefer • October 12, 2010
Load More

Latest Fact-Checks About Russ Feingold

U.S. Chamber of Commerce
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
stated on October 28, 2016 an ad
Says Russ Feingold said that with Obamacare, "we could keep our doctors and our plans, it was rated as the Lie of the Year."  
True
November 4, 2016
Republican Party of Wisconsin
Republican Party of Wisconsin
stated on October 14, 2016 a radio ad
Says Russ Feingold "formed his own political group to pay himself and his staff millions."  
Half-True
By Eric Litke • November 3, 2016
Ron Johnson
Ron Johnson
stated on October 10, 2016 a radio ad
Says Russ Feingold "voted to raise taxes on Social Security benefits for seniors, he even tried to give Social Security benefits to illegal immigrants."  
Mostly False
November 3, 2016
Ron Johnson
Ron Johnson
stated on October 6, 2016 a campaign ad
Says Russ Feingold "got paid $8,000 a lecture at Stanford University."
Mostly False
By Alison Dirr • November 2, 2016
Americans for Prosperity
Americans for Prosperity
stated on August 22, 2016 a web ad
Says Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Russ Feingold "voted over 250 times to raise taxes."  
False
By Eric Litke • October 27, 2016
Ron Johnson
Ron Johnson
stated on August 9, 2016 a TV ad
"During his 18-year Senate career, (Russ Feingold) supported judges who voted to deny your individual Second Amendment right. … (He) promises to protect those rights, but that's not what his record shows."  
Mostly False
By Jonathan Anderson • October 19, 2016
Republican Party of Wisconsin
Republican Party of Wisconsin
stated on September 12, 2016 a web ad
"Just like Hillary Clinton," Russ Feingold had a "run-in with corruption and scandal by using a personal slush fund -- a.k.a. the Feingold Foundation --  while plotting another run for U.S. Senate."  
Mostly False
October 14, 2016
Let America Work
Let America Work
stated on September 1, 2016 a TV ad
Says Russ Feingold was the "only senator to vote against Homeland Security."
False
September 21, 2016
Ron Johnson
Ron Johnson
stated on August 23, 2016 in a campaign ad
Says Russ Feingold broke his 1992 promise to always get the majority of funding from Wisconsin residents.
True
By Eric Litke • September 7, 2016
Ron Johnson
Ron Johnson
stated on July 19, 2016 a speech at the Republican convention
Says that as a U.S. senator, Russ Feingold "voted against authorizing our military 11 separate times."
Half-True
July 22, 2016
Freedom Partners Action Fund
Freedom Partners Action Fund
stated on May 2, 2016 a TV ad
"Russ Feingold got a memo in 2009 that outlined veteran harm" at a Wisconsin VA facility "and nothing was done."
False
May 11, 2016
Ron Johnson
Ron Johnson
stated on December 17, 2015 a television interview
"I’ll be running against a career politician."
Mostly True
By James B. Nelson • February 4, 2016
National Republican Senatorial Committee
National Republican Senatorial Committee
stated on November 10, 2015 a TV ad
Says Russ Feingold "wanted to get money out of politics. Now he's profiting from that same dark money."
Half-True
November 27, 2015
National Republican Senatorial Committee
National Republican Senatorial Committee
stated on August 7, 2015 a news release
Says Russ Feingold cast the "deciding vote" for the "largest tax increase" in history
Mostly False
By Lucas Daprile • August 31, 2015
Ron Johnson
Ron Johnson
stated on May 19, 2015 an interview
Says Democratic challenger Russ Feingold "was the deciding vote on Obamacare."
Mostly False
May 27, 2015
National Republican Senatorial Committee
National Republican Senatorial Committee
stated on May 14, 2015 a tweet
Democrat "Russ Feingold announced his Wisconsin Senate run today from…California."
Pants on Fire!
By James B. Nelson • May 22, 2015
Ron Johnson
Ron Johnson
stated on October 29, 2010 an automated phone message, as well as a radio ad, news releases and debates
Says Russ Feingold voted to give Social Security benefits to illegal immigrants
False
By Dave Umhoefer • November 1, 2010
Ron Johnson
Ron Johnson
stated on September 28, 2010 a campaign TV ad
"There are 100 members of the U.S. Senate. Fifty-seven of them, including Russ Feingold, are lawyers. There are zero manufacturers and one accountant."
Mostly True
By Dave Umhoefer • October 22, 2010
Ron Johnson
Ron Johnson
stated on October 10, 2010 a campaign TV ad
Says Russ Feingold supported a stimulus plan that allowed a company to create 3,000 jobs in China.
Mostly False
By Dave Umhoefer • October 19, 2010
Ron Johnson
Ron Johnson
stated on October 7, 2010 campaign literature mailed to state residents
Says "Russ Feingold cut Medicare by $523 billion."
Mostly False
By Dave Umhoefer • October 8, 2010
Load More