Tech privacy ally Russ Feingold leads in Wisconsin Senate race

Nov's Senate election in Wisconsin could gain Silicon Valley a key ally in Washington in the high-tech industry's battle against the US government's growing appetite for more access to private data. Democrat Russ Feingold, 63, the only lawmaker to vote against the USA Patriot Act in 2001, leads incumbent Sen Ron Johnson (R-WI) in the state in opinion polls ahead of the Nov. 8 election.

Sen Johnson, 61, rode a wave of support from conservative Tea Party activists to victory six years ago, sweeping Feingold out of office. But polls in 2016 have consistently shown Feingold ahead, although recent surveys show a tighter race. Privacy advocates and former Feingold staffers said they expected Feingold, if returned to office, to be sympathetic to the privacy concerns of technology companies and civil liberties groups on issues such as encryption and domestic spying, at a time when many lawmakers are being pressured to confront security threats from Islamic State and other militant groups.