Bill Glauber

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

This much is clear: Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and Libertarian candidate Phil Anderson crossed paths at Saturday's Racine County Fair.

But what they discussed is in dispute.

Anderson claimed Monday that Johnson told the Libertarian to reconsider making the race. The Johnson campaign said nothing of the sort happened. Johnson is in a tough fight with Democrat Russ Feingold.

Anderson said he and his 15-year-old son Daniel were walking around the fairgrounds Saturday when they ran into Johnson and House Speaker Paul Ryan of Janesville. Anderson asked Johnson if they could take a photo together.

Johnson agreed and the men posed for the picture.

Anderson, general manager of a Madison cab company, claimed that when they were done with the photo, Johnson said: "This is a very important election," and added, "You're having an effect on my campaign."

Anderson said he told Johnson that he was drawing evenly from Republicans and Democrats. There was no tape recording of the conversation, Anderson said, but he took notes afterward.

In a July Marquette University Law School Poll, a three-way race showed Feingold with 46% among likely voters, Johnson with 40% and Anderson with 7%.

Brian Reisinger, a Johnson campaign spokesman, said: "Phil Anderson seems like a nice man. Ron had a brief conversation with him and took a photo, but he never asked him to drop out of the race."

Also Monday, the Feingold campaign launched a new statewide television ad that plays off Johnson saying shortly before the 2010 election, "I've always said I'll be the calmest guy on my election night. I win either way." The ad criticized Johnson for $10 million in deferred compensation he received from the firm he once ran, Oshkosh-based Pacur.

"If he wins, he gets another six years to support tax loopholes and bad trade deals that ship jobs overseas, all to benefit corporations and multimillionaires like him," the ad says.

Johnson campaign spokesman William Allison said: "Senator Feingold is correct in pointing out the fact that Ron isn't a career politician. Beyond that, we don't know what he's talking about, and neither does he. While Ron has built a successful manufacturing career in Oshkosh, Senator Feingold has been on the taxpayers' dime for 34 years."