Feingold Says He Heard A Lot About Minimum Wage During His Listening Tour

U.S. Senate candidate Russ Feingold says the minimum wage was one issue among many that people talked to him about during his listening tour through Wisconsin this summer.

The former Democratic senator spoke in Milwaukee on Tuesday to members of the group Wisconsin Citizen Action. He said he’s heard a lot in recent weeks about state residents wanting unity and wages that allow people to pay their bills. Feingold said among those deserving a raise are people working for the hourly minimum wage.

“Americans who work full-time deserve a living wage, so I believe we must look beyond incremental change and aim to gradually increase the federal minimum wage to $15,” he said.

Feingold didn’t take questions from the audience, and avoided news reporters who wanted to ask about GOP concerns that Feingold accepted speaking fees after his 2010 election loss, despite having been a critic of speaking fees while in office.