Feingold hints at Senate bid in farewell State Dept. speech

Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) hinted he’ll seek a rematch against Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) in his final speech as a State Department envoy Tuesday, signaling what most Democratic strategists think is all but a certain campaign.

{mosads}Feingold, who has served as special U.S. envoy to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Great Lakes Region since 2013, thanked his “once, current, and I hope future chief of staff Mary Irvine” during his farewell speech at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

It’s unlikely he’d be referring to a future chief of staff unless he’s planning a Senate return.

Democrats have considered it likely that Feingold will run for some time — Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Jon Tester (Mont.) told The Hill earlier this month that they’d talked, and he called Feingold a “formidable” potential candidate, while Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) told The Hill a few weeks ago that “there’s a significant likelihood that he’ll get in.”

Feingold is looking for a rematch against Johnson, who defeated him in the 2010 GOP wave election, and Democrats view the race as one of their top pickup opportunities in 2016.