Will Russ Feingold Run?

Russ Feingold is playing coy about if he will run for Senate in 2012 or against against Scott Walker for governor.

“I am looking at it, but I feel I should take some time to think this through,” said Feingold, the former senator who was defeated last fall for re-election after three terms. “For me the question right now is whether it’s a good idea for me to go back into this sort of life.”

After spending 28 years in the Wisconsin Legislature and U.S. Senate, Feingold called his break from politics “a healthy one for me to be doing something different at this point in my life.”

Feingold said he has been approached by Democrats in Wisconsin about running either for Senate or for governor. Republican Gov. Scott Walker isn’t up for re-election until 2014, though Democrats may try force a recall election next year. The Senate seat will be open because Kohl, a four-term Democrat, plans to retire after 2012. Feingold has had little to say until now about his potential interest in the seat.

Asked which of those two jobs -- senator or governor -- held more interest for him, Feingold said “I don’t have any specific thoughts about the different offices.” He said his first decision is whether he wants to be a political candidate again, when “not being in office has certain appeals to it.”

Said Feingold: “I’m not down to the level of which office or when, but I realize I have to come to grips with whether I would be a candidate for Senate in 2012 in the reasonably near future.”

The New Progressive Alliance is seeking Feingold as a possible primary candidate against President Obama. There is zero chance Feingold would commit political suicide by running against Obama and the Democratic establishment.

If Feingold wasn't interested he would say he wasn't running. It sounds like Feingold is more interested in running against the unpopular Walker than another Senate run.