Russ Feingold Quotes

Elections are a competition with only one winner. Giving more money to the opponent every time one speaks on behalf of a favored candidate discourages the speech that triggers the matching funds.

Now I believe that people need to understand what's happening in my campaign, and they're going to get three or four snapshots of that, with plenty of time before the first disclosure happens in June.

Citibank had nothing to do with getting reelected.

We are told there is not enough money for education, but somehow there is enough money for people to raise billions of dollars to defeat somebody in an election? Oh! Okay! Does that make sense?

Campaign 2000: Happy Days are Here Again: Ad Dollars Piling Up

Don't come in [to the Senate] without assets and remain that way.... Go out and accumulate some capital and then try and run for the Senate.

In a political contest, the use of some [money] is both right, and indispensable.

Public [campaign] financing and free television time are the things that will diminish the high influence that money has on politics.

Most important of all the structural reforms, we need to follow through on the recent Congressional effort to discipline the use of money in politics, by setting reasonable limits on campaign spending, limiting and publicizing individual and organizational gifts and channeling much more of the money (including … all general election spending) through the respective party committees rather than through individual candidates’ treasuries.

The [Democratic] party is a bank. It collects money and gives it to TV stations.

Crossroads is second to none in our support of Tea Party candidates. In 2010 and '12, we spent over $30 million for Senate candidates who were Tea Party candidates. We spent almost $20 million for House candidates who were Tea Party candidates.

When I ran for governor of Minnesota, I only raised $300,000.

I don't think I would have to run a campaign that's financed like General Motors.

I'm asking regular folks to be my super PAC.

When you look at the money spent by labor unions for Democrats, it comes as no surprise the Democrats crafted a campaign-finance 'disclosure' bill with the thresholds adjusted to exempt unions.

The usual test under the Federal Election Campaign Act for whether something counts as a campaign expenditure is whether the obligation would have existed but for the campaign. If so, it is not a campaign expenditure.

It will be almost impossible for any other candidate to raise the money that the Clintons can raise.

People have their constitutional right to contribute to a campaign and if they have discretionary money that they want to contribute to a candidate, whether a Republican or a Democrat, they should be able to do so.

Let's be very clear, if you check the F.E.C. records you will see I am supporting George W. Bush.

A CBS spokesman said the network's policy was tightened in September 2006 to forbid contributions to political campaigns. Previously, there was a bit of wiggle room.

When I was in office the fundraising was done by the party treasurers.

When you buy toothpaste or detergent or gas, that is now used for the first time in your lifetime or my lifetime to support candidates in so-called 'independent ads.' Same thing for unions.

I supported Pat Toomey when he ran in 2010. I gave him money in September of 2009 because I wanted him to be the U.S. senator. I personally contributed my own money.

Well I think money has been going into political campaigns for a very long time.

Well, paycheck protection is an important ingredient for a successful campaign finance reform measure.