Last week, the Wisconsin state Republican convention endorsed businessman Ron Johnson to be the Republican nominee against Russ Feingold.  Today, Rasmussen Reports finds that he is within striking distance of the Senator:

Russ Feingold (D) -- 46%
Ron Johnson (R) -- 44%

Russ Feingold (D) -- 47%
Terrence Wall (R) -- 41%

Russ Feingold (D) -- 47%
Dave Westlake (R) -- 38%

It's really surprised me that this race hasn't garnered more attention.  Feingold is one of the two or three most liberal members of the Senate, and he represents a state that is probably two or three points left-of-center.  He narrowly won against a very conservative opponent in a good Democratic year (1998) and won by twelve points against a no-name Republican in a decent Republican year (2004).

Now, I'm not saying it is time to start writing a political obituary for Feingold.  But he's a three-term Senator who isn't a perfect ideological match for his state, and he's stuck at 47% in polls against unknown opponents,  Add in the fact that this year, at the very least, isn't going to be a great year for the Democrats, and it isn't good news for him.  This race is worth watching.

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