Feingold Challenges Johnson To Pledge Against Outside Spending

In his bid to retake the U.S. Senate seat he lost in 2010, Democrat Russ Feingold is calling on the incumbent, Republican Ron Johnson, to sign a pledge to keep outside groups from pouring money into the election.

The pledge Feingold is proposing is modeled on one signed by candidates in a 2012 U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts, where it was largely successful in keeping outside groups from running TV, radio and online ads, either in support or against both candidates. For it to work, Feingold said both candidates must promise to donate half the cost of any such ads that are run to a charity of their opponent’s choice.

“It worked really well in Massachusetts, where a couple of times they had to pay up, but basically a lot of this outside money stayed out,” Feingold said.

Sen. Johnson hasn’t said yet whether he’ll sign the pledge. Feingold said if the two agree, it will help ensure both candidates can can keep control of the message their campaigns are trying to sell to voters.