Hollywood’s a long way from Wisconsin, but as Russ Feingold, a former senator, fights to regain his old seat, he’s successfully bringing in some big guns from the entertainment industry, reported D.C. news site Roll Call.

On October 18, comedian and actress Sarah Silverman sent a fundraising e-mail to the Democrat’s backers asking them to chip in a few dollars to help beat incumbent and Republican foe Ron Johnson.

She described the former, and perhaps future, senator as a “progressive rock star” and “one of the very few totally righteous politicians who has always voted on the right side of history.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

This isn’t the first time in this campaign that Feingold has called on Hollywood to gin up the grassroots.

In late August, the actor Robert Redford signed a similar appeal, citing his “disbelief and deep concern for America” and praising Feingold as a champion for working families.

Feingold has a consistently liberal record. During his three terms in the Senate, he was the lone vote against the post-9/11 Patriot Act and one of the two dozen Democratic senators to say ‘nay’ to war in Iraq.

Six years ago, he lost his seat to Johnson in 2010. Afterward, he started a political action committee named Progressives United, with a goal of tamping down large donor influence in campaigns.

He’s a favorite to prevail this cycle — the latest Real Clear Politics roundup of the polls had him 5.3 percentage points ahead of Johnson.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re in the middle of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 21.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount