"PolitiFact" Fails Simple Math

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's "PolitiFact" project is very quickly making itself irrelevant. They are accomplishing this by arriving at some of the most absurd conclusions. They are doing this with several campaigns but they really seem to have a chip on their shoulder with the Feingold campaign. In fact the apparent chip is so big that they have even abandoned their (assumed) knowledge of simple math in the process.

Today they arbitrarily gave the Feingold campaign a "pants on fire" designation for suggesting that Russ Feingold's opponents have always outspent him. Here is the very simple math:

In 1992, Feingold’s opposition in the Democratic Party primary- Joe Checota and Jim Moody- spent $4,986,780.78. In the general election, incumbent Bob Kasten spent $5,427,163.00.
Feingold spent $1,990,488.00 total against both his Democratic primary opponents and his general election opponent.

The Math:

Opponents $10,413,943.78
Feingold $1,990,488.00


In 1998, Feingold’s opponent Congressman Mark Neumann spent $4,373,953.00. Feingold spent $3,846,089.00.

Neumann was also aided by millions of dollars of outside independent expenditures for TV ads attacking Senator Feingold.

The Math:

Opponents Well over $5 million
Feingold $3,846,089.00


In 2004, Feingold’s three Republican opponents spent $11,645,443.00 attacking Feingold.

Russ Darrow spent $4,826,619.00, Bob Welch spent $1,276,737.00, and Feingold general election opponent, Tim Michels spent, $5,542,087.00.

The Math:

Opponents $11,645,443.00
Feingold $9,239,908

Even if we include Feingold’s spending before his GOP opponents entered the race, Feingold was still outspent $11,645,443.00 to $10,977,339.3.

1992-2004

In total, Feingold’s opponents have spent $26,433,339.78 trying to defeat him and this doesn’t even include all the independent ads that have been spent by outside groups.

Feingold has spent $16,813,916.31 against his opponents, while his opponents have spent in excess of $26,433,339.78.

The Math:

Opponents $26,433,339.78
Feingold $16,813,916.31