Feingold Forms Political Group to Combat Corporate Influence
By MICHAEL D. SHEAR

Russ Feingold, the former Democratic senator from Wisconsin who lost his bid for re-election in November, has formed a new political organization aimed at countering the impact of corporate money in politics.

In a video to supporters, Mr. Feingold said that the group, called Progressives United, would try to hold politicians “accountable to the people” rather than to their big-dollar donors.

“Washington, sadly, has become a playground for corporations and our [their] lobbyists,” Mr. Feingold said. “It’s time we stood up to the total dominance of corporate power that’s invaded our democracy and hijacked our elections.”

Mr. Feingold, who after losing in November took a job teaching at Marquette University Law School, was a crusader against corporate financing of elections while he was in the Senate. He joined with Senator John McCain of Arizona, a Republican, to pass campaign finance laws that sought to limit corporate contributions.

But a decision by the Supreme Court last year, Citizens United, overturned much of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, generally known as the McCain-Feingold act, by broadly allowing corporations to contribute to political campaigns.

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