If Russ Feingold won back his Senate seat,

[Don Vito Corleone]

Would he be a Contender for the Democratic Nomination in 2020?

[GoTfan]

Well he can't win it back unless he challenges Baldwin, which won't happen. However, I think it's not out of the realm of possibility that he runs for Governor in 2018. Unlikely, but possible.

[TheSaint250]

He doesn't strike me as the type to run for president.

[Woke Frenzy]

He would be a potential VP candidate, but he wouldn't run for President.

[Gass3268]

I think he'd be a great choice for Secretary of State in a future Democratic administration. I believe he was higher up on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and he was the United States Special Envoy for the African Great Lakes and the Congo-Kinshasa.

[Don Vito Corleone]

Well he can't win it back unless he challenges Baldwin, which won't happen. However, I think it's not out of the realm of possibility that he runs for Governor in 2018. Unlikely, but possible.

I meant if he had won his 2016 race.

[mcmikk]

As big a fan I am of him, I think 2008 was his big chance and he passed on it. There are more well-known progressive leaders in the Democratic Party now, and he seems to be a bit too much of a passive and lackluster campaigner(see: 2016). If Sanders and Warren had bowed out and progressives still needed a vessel, he may have jumped in, and he would have had my vote in a heartbeat. He was an original progressive champion, pushing for things like campaign finance reform(even if he caved to big money himself in 2016), universal health care, and vote 1-99 on the Patriot Act. He spent his time out of office helping end a war in the Congo, and he would be a good candidate to win back the midwest for Democrats(at least Wisconsin). That said, I don't think he would run.

But all of that is a moot point anyway because...ya know...he lost.

[Don Vito Corleone]

As big a fan I am of him, I think 2008 was his big chance and he passed on it. There are more well-known progressive leaders in the Democratic Party now, and he seems to be a bit too much of a passive and lackluster campaigner(see: 2016). If Sanders and Warren had bowed out and progressives still needed a vessel, he may have jumped in, and he would have had my vote in a heartbeat. He was an original progressive champion, pushing for things like campaign finance reform(even if he caved to big money himself in 2016), universal health care, and vote 1-99 on the Patriot Act. He spent his time out of office helping end a war in the Congo, and he would be a good candidate to win back the midwest for Democrats(at least Wisconsin). That said, I don't think he would run.

But all of that is a moot point anyway because...ya know...he lost.

Did you have to Remind Me?

And 2008? You really think so? I think his best chance would be running for Herb Kohl's seat in 2012, then running for President 2016.

[Trump v. Wong Kim Ark]

If he had won his senate seat, he'd be my pick for 2020. He'd be a good SoS if a Dem wins in 2020.

[Mr. Morden]

If he actually wants to be president, then he should just run for that in 2020.  No need to run for any other office beforehand, IMHO.  Voters don't care about whether you currently hold office or whether you lost your last race or not.  Many of them probably don't know anyway.  E.g., Santorum came in second place in the 2012 GOP primaries, and his having lost his last Senate race in a landslide was something that never even really came up, and I doubt a terribly large fraction of the electorate was aware of it.

[#gravelgang #lessiglad]

He'd be a solid veep pick for a more "establishment" oriented nominee. That said, it isn't all that clear that he wants to run for national office.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Definitely. While he'd probably deny any intention to run like Brown and Franken, I think he'd be at the top of everyone's lists.

[Blair]

Didn't he run quite a poor campaign in 2016?

[RINO Tom]

He can't win that seat because Wisconsin voted for a Republican once, LOL.

[McGovernForPrez]

Even if he hadn't won and he ran in 2020 I'd strongly consider voting for him in the primary. Really depends on the field though.

[Mr. Smith]

Didn't he run quite a poor campaign in 2016?

If it was poor, why did he do better than in 2010?

Rematches don't do that.

[Pollster]

Nate Silver hypothesized before the election that he was the natural choice for 2020 if Hillary lost, but was clearly banking at the time on him defeating Johnson by a solid margin. If he had won by 5+ points I do believe it would be a no-brainer.

Losing doesn't rule him out as a candidate (I actually think he'd be very competitive in early primary states) but does muddy the path a little bit imo.

[henster]

If Feingold had won in 2010 he'd probably run in 2016 or if Joe Sestak had won or Katie McGinty. So many what if scenarios...

[uti2]

Didn't he run quite a poor campaign in 2016?

Not really. Hillary courted republicans and focused on suburbs in the SW, she ignored traditional labour dems in the Midwest. Feingold was mostly weighed down by Hillary's national campaign. His problems were turnout related and enabled by Hillary's GOP courtship strategy.

[Blair]

Didn't he run quite a poor campaign in 2016?

If it was poor, why did he do better than in 2010?

Rematches don't do that.

I assume because 2010 was a much better year for Republicans; although I think people certainly underestimated how good first term republican incumbents would be.

I haven't studied the race or the numbers at all; but it certainly was the most surprising Senate race of the night

[Liberalrocks]

Well considering if he had won Clinton would have carried Wisconsin as she polled higher then him. Running in 2020 likely only if she opted out of runner no reelection. Very sad he lost that race.

[CubanoTX]

Didn't he run quite a poor campaign in 2016?

If it was poor, why did he do better than in 2010?

Rematches don't do that.

election year v midterm

[MAINEiac4434]

Yes, and some could argue if he runs he'd still be a contender in 2020.

[mcmikk]

If he actually wants to be president, then he should just run for that in 2020.  No need to run for any other office beforehand, IMHO.  Voters don't care about whether you currently hold office or whether you lost your last race or not.  Many of them probably don't know anyway.  E.g., Santorum came in second place in the 2012 GOP primaries, and his having lost his last Senate race in a landslide was something that never even really came up, and I doubt a terribly large fraction of the electorate was aware of it.

[Mr. Smith]

Didn't he run quite a poor campaign in 2016?

If it was poor, why did he do better than in 2010?

Rematches don't do that.

election year v midterm

Owens took on Love again in Utah no? Utah really swung hard D. Yet Love is still there.