Update: Thompson ends speculation about Senate run at Capitol 'tea party'
State Journal | Posted: Thursday, April 15, 2010 11:50 am
Former Gov. Tommy Thompson, addressing a crowd of thousands at a "tea party" outside the state Capitol on Thursday, said it was "time for new voices" in conservative leadership.
Thompson quashed speculation that he would try to unseat longtime Democratic U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold.
After his speech he told the State Journal that he decided Wednesday night against a Senate run after consulting with his family.
The speech capped off an 90-minute lunchtime rally by conservatives that coincided with the April 15 deadline to file federal income taxes.
Yellow "Don't Tread on Me" flags were surrounded by signs reading "November is coming" and "Taxed Enough Already Party."
Rada Nedovic of Racine said she came because the health care reform bill passed recently "stinks." Nedovic said she lived in Communist-run Yugoslavia and "knows what it's like when government gets into health care."
The Madison event mirrored a massive gathering in Washington, D.C., and other activist rallies in Oklahoma, Ohio, Hawaii and Georgia.
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt_and_politics/article_260933b0-48af-11df-aa87-001cc4c002e0.html