Back in dairyland, the battle to be Wisconsin's next US Senator is still going on. The four candidates vying to face Sen. Russ Feingold in November squared off in Madison at an event sponsored by the local rotary club.

In case you're unaware (which is easy considering the surprisingly low profile this race has had), the candidates are Robert Lorge, State Sen. Bob Welch, Tim Michels, and Russ Darrow. They reportedly traded barbs about why they don't like Feingold while not taking many shots at each other. According to what's surely an unbiased poll by the Darrow campaign, Darrow leads the pack with 44% support. I actually do think Darrow will be the likely candidate, although he's certainly not the most articulate. Welch, Lorge, and Michels better come up with a strategy to take out the auto dealer soon.

While Feingold will likely never win with Herb Kohl like numbers in a Senate race, I believe he will pull this one out with a wider margin of victory than he had against Mark Neumann in 1998. First of all, independent voters and many Republicans like Feingold for his votes against the USA Patriot Act, and the extension of the assault weapons ban. All the Republicans, particularly Darrow, have repeatedly criticized Feingold for his vote on the Patriot Act which I think will turn out to be a major strategic error.

Also, I expect John Kerry will win Wisconsin in the presidential race, and I foresee Feingold picking up more crossover votes from independents and Republicans than Kerry come November.