Politico reports that Tommy Thompson will run for Senate

[PeaceNikki]

Tommy Thompson, the Republican former Wisconsin governor and George W. Bush’s first secretary of Health and Human Services, has told friends he plans to run for the open Senate seat in Wisconsin, according to top Wisconsin sources.

Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) said Friday that he won’t seek a fifth term in 2012.

Thompson’s announcement gives Republicans a popular former two-term governor to seriously challenge for this toss-up seat.

There’s no chance Thompson would run against Paul Ryan, so the former governor will await the Budget Chairman’s official announcement on the race before jumping in. Ryan has suggested in private conversations with GOP officials in recent days that he will take a pass on the race and focus on his House chairmanship.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0511/55108.html

:puke:

[Skidmore]

1. Some of these guys are like gum on your shoe sole.

You just can't seem to scrape them off.

[iwishiwas]

2. gum that has stepped in pig poop!!

[iwishiwas]

3. Tommy once said that when he was in DC there were too many

people he had to listen too--As head of HHS. He likes being in control/charge like he was a Gov for many years. Probably the Senate suits him??

[a kennedy]

4. no way......

:puke: :puke: :puke:

[FBaggins]

5. Not good.

His popularity isn't close to what it once was, but he would be awfully tough to beat. Could keep Feingold out of the race entirely.

Though that might encourage him to take on a recall run. So I suppose it isn't all bad

[PeaceNikki]

6. We definitely need to put up a strong candidate.

I don't know if Russ really wants back in at this point. We should have a better shot than we did last fall. Turnout at the polls will be better in a presidential election year.

[Scuba]

9. We do need a strong candidate....

...there's talk of Russ running for Governor. I'd personally like to see Russ back in the Senate and Jon Erpenbach as Governor.

[cali]

7. Run, Russ, run!

[Scuba]

8. A Zombie back from the dead....

...as Governor, Tommy could finish paving the State, build more prisons, screw more secretaries and rename an agency (that was his big claim to fame at the Fed level, renaming the "Health Care Financing Adminstration", "Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services").

[nebenaube]

10. Herr Thompson...

is the biggest reason Wisconsin has a deficit. For nearly thirty years he ran a shell game with the budget here. Then just before Bush recruited him; he sends out $600/household tax rebates. Eight months later after he's gone we discovered the majority of what is now known as the so called 3.6 billion dollar debt.