Bill Glauber

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The tight race between Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson Democrat Russ Feingold turned personal in their second and final debate Tuesday at Marquette University Law School.

Skirmishing over campaign finance, national security, the economy and presidential candidates, the men engaged in a feisty 90-minute conversation moderated by Mike Gousha.

"I will stand with the people of this state," Feingold said. "Senator Johnson stands with the corporations, the billionaires and the multi-millionaires."

Johnson sought to refute Feingold's characterization, saying, "I've listened to the false attack ads saying I'm in the pocket of big business."

Johnson discussed his background of working a grill at a drug store for minimum wage and helping build a plastics manufacturing firm in Oshkosh.

Johnson went after Progressives United PAC, a political action committee that Feingold helped set up after he lost his 2010 race. Johnson said the organization was "basically a money-making machine" that spent a sizable chunk of money on salaries.

"Senator Johnson is saying things he knows not to be true," Feingold said. "Progressives United was created to fight the corporate domination of our system that Senator Johnson supports."

Johnson labeled as a "spectacular failure" the campaign finance measure Feingold passed with Republican U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona. Feingold defended the measure and said Johnson hasn't "raised a finger" to change the campaign finance system.

The two men dueled over their presidential nominees. Johnson continued to support Donald Trump while Feingold backed Clinton.

Locked in a tight contest and headed into the homestretch of their rematch race, the two met in their second and final debate.

As in the past meeting on Friday night, the two displayed their differences on almost every public policy issue.

But it's where the political gives way to the personal that could offer a fascinating contrast for voters.

Marquette Law School and WISN-TV (Channel 12) are debate co-sponsors. WISN-TV and other radio and TV outlets across the state will broadcast the event beginning at 8:30 p.m. Broadcaster and law school fellow Mike Gousha will moderate.

There are no rules.

During Friday night's debate in Green Bay, the candidates dueled over Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, implementation of the Affordable Care Act and keeping the country safe from terrorism.

But when the subject turned to the scandal at the Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the exchange was pointed. The facility became known as "Candy Land" because of the overprescription of medications. Marine Corps veteran Jason Simcakoski died at the facility in August 2014 as a result of "mixed drug toxicity."

Johnson accused Feingold, a former three-term senator, of ignoring problems at the Tomah medical center while he was in office.

"Senator Feingold, here his office was repeatedly advised of this as far back as 2008, 2009," Johnson said, a reference to a 2009 memo from a union warning of wide distribution of narcotic painkillers. A notation on the memo said it was hand-delivered to Feingold and others. But Lin Ellinghuysen, the president of that American Federation of Government Employees, later told the media and Senate committee staff that the memo had been incorrectly marked.

Johnson said he has eight veterans serving on his staff and that he takes veterans issues seriously. Johnson, chair of the Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee, released a report on Tomah that zeroed in on systemic failures in the VA's inspector general's office review of the facility.

"I'm not quite sure why Senator Feingold or his staff didn't raise the alarm bells when they got memos addressed or hand-delivered to Senator Feingold or given to reps of Senator Feingold laying out the problems of Tomah, describing Candy Man (a doctor), calling it Candy Land. Nothing happened in 2008, 2009. Is that simply because his staff didn't care, or Senator Feingold didn't?"

Feingold responded: "It's a sad moment when a senator from Wisconsin says something he knows for sure is not true."

Feingold said testimony in front of the Johnson's Homeland Security committee made clear that his office never received the warning about Tomah.

"In fact, this tragedy occurred five years later, several years later under Senator Johnson's watch," Feingold said. "So this is a sad moment when somebody who knows for sure that something is untrue repeats it because he's a politician trying to get re-elected."

The two men also had a quick confrontation over Trump and Clinton. Neither man gave ground, with Johnson continuing his support of Trump while Feingold backed Clinton. Johnson did not mention Trump's name during the debate.

Before Tuesday's debate, Democrats sought to step up attacks on Johnson for supporting Trump in the wake of the release of a 2005 video in which the businessman was heard making vulgar comments about groping women. Johnson has said the comments were indefensible.

In a Thursday teleconference call arranged by the Feingold campaign, state Rep. Chris Taylor (D-Madison) said Johnson's support of Trump "was particularly disturbing because Senator Johnson seems to think that sexual assault is not a big issue and he doesn't have a problem with a candidate for president who regularly demeans, insults and assaults women."

“Ron has said Mr. Trump’s comments were indefensible — and it’s up to Mr. Trump to address these allegations himself," Johnson campaign spokesman Brian Reisinger said.