Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson appears to have the edge in his run for the Senate against Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc.
While the race for the open seat is rated a tossup by The Cook Political Report and tossup/tilt Republican by The Rothenberg Political Report, Thompson is up by 6.2 points over Baldwin according to the Real Clear Politics polling average. However, a new Quinnipiac University/New York Times/CBS News poll puts the race dead even at 47 percent each.
Thompson served 14 years as governor and was Secretary of Health and Humans Services under President George W. Bush. Baldwin, a liberal from Madison, has served in the House since 1999 and leads Thompson in the money race, raising $7.1 million to his $2.4 million.
The two have scheduled three debates for Sept. 28, Oct. 18 and Oct. 26. All three will be broadcast statewide.
The two are vying for an open seat as a result of the retirement of Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wisc. The 77-year-old, who owns the NBA team the Milwaukee Bucks, was first elected to the seat in 1988.
Baldwin has been endorsed by Kohl and Thompson snagged the endorsement of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Joe "the Plumber" Wurzelbacher.
© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.