U.S. Senate race: Johnson's Zika vote, Feingold budget vote under the microscope

MILWAUKEE - Votes past and present are now fodder for attacks in Wisconsin's U.S. Senate race, as both candidates try to define their opponent to voters.

Ron Johnson

Wisconsin Democrats are attacking Sen. Ron Johnson for voting against the Senate's $1.1 billion plan to combat the Zika virus this week. Meanwhile, Johnson is criticizing challenger Russ Feingold for votes he made against a balanced budget amendment in the 1990s.

"It`s kind of rare to have both candidates with extensive voting records and in the Senate," said Charles Franklin, the Marquette Law School Poll's director.

The House and Senate have approved separate bills aimed at fighting the Zika virus. A Wisconsin woman was confirmed to have the state's first case of Zika on Wednesday. She recently traveled to Honduras; there are no cases where a person got the virus locally.

Johnson voted against the Senate version, having preferred his own proposal over the one that Republican leadership advanced.

"His vote was a reminder that his priority is with ultra-conservative Washington Republicans not Wisconsinites," said Harry Hatfield, a spokesman for the state Democratic party. "Now, his steadfast loyalty to the most extreme Republicans is putting the health of Wisconsinites at risk."

A spokeswoman for Johnson's office said the senator supported an increase in funding to combat Zika, but could not back the final bill.

"The difference between the senator’s proposal and the one that eventually passed," said Paige Alwood, the Johnson spokeswoman, "was that his moved money to combating Zika from lower-priority programs, while the bill that passed simply increased spending."

Meanwhile, Johnson's campaign produced a new online ad that criticizes Feingold for voting multiple times against a balanced budget amendment in the 1990s.

The ad shows Feingold during his bid for U.S. Senate in 1992. "The No. 1 priority for fixing the economy is eliminating the federal deficit," Feingold is quoted as saying.

"If he was being honest, he would’ve supported the balanced budget amendment," the ad's narrator says. "Instead, he voted against it four time."

Feingold's campaign said then-Sen. Feingold voted against the proposal because it was "extreme policy." It would've required Congress to pass balanced budgets, but could have forced deep cuts in Social Security and Medicare.

Russ Feingold

Combined, the two men have been in the U.S. Senate for nearly 24 years. Both campaigns will continue to highlight voting records as the campaign continues, Franklin said.

"An individual vote may be brought up and criticized. Whether it really has impact with voters depends on if it reflects something deeper about that candidate," Franklin said.

Outside groups have begun spending significant money on TV ads in Wisconsin, and the race continues to be one of the most-watched in the country. It will help decide which party controls the Senate next year.

Sen. Ron Johnson, Russ Feingold