The presidential election isn’t the only one Wisconsin voters will be watching carefully for its potential effects in Washington D.C. The ballot facing voters on Nov. 8 includes a rematch of incumbent Republican Ron Johnson and Democrat Russ Feingold for Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate seat.

Johnson beat Feingold in 2010 after Feingold had held the positon for 18 years. Requests to interview both candidates were not answered as of press time.

After losing to Johnson, Feingold went on to teach law at Marquette, Lawrence and Stanford University. He also served as United States Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the State Department. In 2012, he wrote a book, “While America Sleeps, a Wake Up Call for the Post 9/11 Era.”

Before becoming Senator, Johnson was an Oshkosh manufacturer, who spent 34 years building a company – Pacur – that produces plastic sheeting for packaging. Pacur is one of the world’s largest producer of a specialty plastic for packaging and high-tech printing applications.

At the time of his election in 2010, Johnson had been running on the fact that he was a political newcomer and he has continued in this round to contend that Feingold is a career politician whose solution to the nation’s problems is to grow government. Johnson has said that his business experience makes him most qualified to grow the economy and create jobs.

During the first debate on Oct. 14 between the two – and repeated at a second debate later in October — Feingold made no apologies for his political record and even touted it. Feingold served 10 years in the Wisconsin state Senate, until 1992 when he was elected to the U.S. Senate.

During the debate, Feingold criticized Johnson for supporting Donald Trump, another business leader with no political experience, for president.

In other issues, Feingold continued to make a plug for his support of raising the minimum wage and 12-week family leave. Johnson opposes both and stated that economic growth has been stagnated by over-regulation, and a government mandate adding paid leave would increase costs to already overburdened employers.

When asked about college affordability, Feingold said he supports retaining the federal student loan program and allowing those with student loan debt to refinance in the same way they can refinance a mortgage. Johnson said the cost of college has increased 2.6 times the rate of inflation since the 1960s and that’s a big part of the problem. He added that there are already 38 programs to help students repay loans and that the plan Feingold’s supports would cost $50 billion and add to the deficit.

The two also disagree over continuing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Johnson said he would repeal Obamacare in favor of “free-market, patient-centered reforms.” Feingold countered, saying that Johnson was ignoring the progress of the ACA in insuring 20 million people who did not have insurance and helping gain coverage for those with preexisting conditions. Both agreed that young people should be able to stay on their parent’s insurance until they turn 26 years old.

When asked what can be done for police to rebuild trust with African-American communities, Feingold supported an increase in neighborhood policing and bolstering communities. Johnson talked about increased involvement and the Joseph Project, an initiative that he has been supported that ties inner city workers in Milwaukee with jobs in Sheboygan County.

The recent Marquette University Law School poll shows the Johnson-Feingold race to be about even.