Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson Files Senate Papers With Federal Election Commission

Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson filed a statement of candidacy on Tuesday, Oct. 4, with the Federal Election Commission, putting him one step closer to a U.S. Senate run.

Despite having formed a campaign committee, hired campaign staff, filed his FEC papers and even begun raising campaign money; Thompson has yet to "officially" announce his bid for Senate. But actions speak louder than words, and no candidate would go through all these steps and not seek the nomination for Senate.

In an email to supporters, Thompson stated "I'm ready for the fight ahead and, as you know, no one is better prepared to fix the mess in Washington than I am." The email also asked supporters to donate at least $25 to his campaign.

Meanwhile, Thompson's main threat for the Republican nomination, Mark Neumann, had a formidable fundraising month in September.

Neumann's campaign announced on Thursday, Oct. 6, that they had raised "$300,000 from over 1,400 donors in the month of September." The campaign also noted that "none of the contributions were from Neumann himself."

The GOP field for U.S. Senate has grown substantially in recent weeks, with several other candidates filing paperwork with the FEC for their campaign committees.

They included Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, state Sen. Frank Lasee and retired delivery driver John Schiess. 

Only two candidates have filed paperwork with the FEC for the Democratic nomination, they are U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin and recent UW Eau Claire graduate Gregory Paules.

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Rep. Dean Knudson (R-District 30)

• On Monday, Oct. 3, SB 28, an act co-sponsored by Rep. Knudson, was referred to the Assembly Committee on Rules. SB 28 seeks to change the composition of the UW Board of Regents; requiring the appointment of at least one citizen member who resides in each of Wisconsin's congressional districts to the board. SB 28 has already passed through the Wisconsin Senate, with a vote of 25 in favor and seven voting against the bill on May 17. It was recently passed through the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities.
• Knudson has a meeting scheduled for the Committee on Education

Sen. Sheila Harsdorf (R-District 10)

• On Monday, Oct. 3, SB 28, an act co-authored by Sen. Harsdorf, was referred to the Assembly Committee on Rules. SB 28 seeks to change the composition of the UW Board of Regents; requiring the appointment of at least one citizen member who resides in each of Wisconsin's congressional districts to the board. SB 28 has already passed through the Wisconsin Senate, with a vote of 25 in favor and seven voting against the bill on May 17. It was recently passed through the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities.
• On Wednesday, Oct. 5, Harsdorf introduced SB 214 to the Wisconsin Senate. The legislation would require law enforcement agencies to collect a biological specimen for DNA analysis from every adult who is arrested for a felony or for fourth-degree sexual assault or other sexual-related offenses. Law enforcement would be required to turn over the sample to crime laboratories for DNA analysis and to submit the DNA profile in the data bank. SB 214 also requires that crime laboratories must, at the person’s request, expunge information about a person who was required to submit a DNA sample in connection with an arrest if the person is not charged with a crime within one year of the arrest. The bill has been referred to the Committee on Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce, and Government Operations.
• On Friday, Oct. 7, Harsdorf posted a new blog entry on her legislative webpage, "DHS Outlines Proposed Savings Costs."
• Sen. Sheila Harsdorf has endorsed former Gov. Tommy Thompson as a candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.
• Harsdorf has a meeting scheduled for the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Higher Education, scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 12.

Rep. Ron Kind (D-District 3)

• On Tuesday, Oct. 4, Rep. Kind voted in favor of agreeing to the Senate amendments to H.R. 2608: the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012. The legislation intends to fund federal government operations through Nov. 18, as well as to provide $3.65 billion in disaster aid. Congress needed to pass the short-term budget aspect of the legislation because it has not enacted any of the appropriation bills to fund the government. The vote was necessary to resolve the differences between the two chambers of congress on the legislation. The vote passed with a vote of 352-66. The bill was signed into law on Wednesday, Oct. 5 by President Obama.
• On Wednesday, Oct. 5, the St. Croix River Crossing project passed through the House Committee on Natural Resources. Rep. Kind commended the passage, stating in a press release that "I am pleased that the committee was able to pass the legislation to authorize the St. Croix River Crossing project. This is an important step in the right direction but there is still more work to be done. I will continue working closely with Senators Kohl, Franken, and Klobuchar and my colleagues in the House to move this project forward. I am optimistic that with the strong support we have back home, from both Governor Walker and Governor Dayton, as well as the support of a bipartisan congressional delegation and a great group of local leaders in the area, we can get this project across the finish line."
• On Thursday, Oct. 6, Kind voted against H.R. 2681: the Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act of 2011. The legislation would force the Environmental Protection Agency to re-write and finalize its rules and regulations for cement plants and for air quality standards. The bill passed with a vote of 262-161. It now awaits action in the U.S. Senate.
• Tweet of the week: "We must move forward on this bridge. MT @stcroixcrossing: #Wisconsin Rep. Kind urged colleagues to support bridge bill: bit.ly/nokbqU"
• Rep. Kind has no committee meetings scheduled for the week.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI)

• On Oct. 3, Sen. Johnson appeared on the Fox Business program Freedom Watch with Judge Andrew Napolitano, to discuss the Solyndra scandal and the Occupy Wall Street protests.
• On Thursday, Oct. 6, Sen. Johnson appeared on the CNBC program the Kudlow Report to discuss tax hikes and job growth.
• On Saturday, Oct. 7, and Sunday, Oct. 8, Sen. Johnson attended the Republican Midwest Leadership Conference in Bloomington, Minnesota. He was one of several keynote speakers, along with Karl Rove, Gov. Scott Walker, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, and several others.
• Tweet of the week: ""How the FDA Could Cost You Your Life" via Scott Gottlieb in today's @WSJ: http://tinyurl.com/3dny7yn"
• Johnson has two meetings scheduled for the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, they are scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 11 and Wednesday, Oct. 12.
• Johnson has a hearing scheduled for the Senate Budget Committee on Wednesday, Oct. 12.
• Johnson has a meeting scheduled for the Committee on Appropriations for Wednesday, Oct. 12.

Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI)

• On Wednesday, Oct. 5, Sen. Kohl announced the introduction of an amendment to the Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act. The amendment intends to strengthen protection on American innovations and trade secrets. In a press release, Kohl stated that "the problem of economic espionage is not new, but it has grown and evolved as the information age has reached a point where trade secrets can circle the globe in the blink of an eye. U.S. corporations face intense competition at home and abroad. As much as 80 percent of the assets of today's companies are intangible trade secrets."
• Kohl has a meeting scheduled for the Committee on Appropriations for Wednesday, Oct. 12.
• Kohl has a meeting scheduled the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs for Thursday, Oct. 13.
• Kohl has a meeting scheduled for the Senate Judiciary Committee scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 13.