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Russ Feingold has leads on three of his expected GOP opponents in the latest Rasmussen poll. But he didn't break 50 percent against any of them.

The survey, the first publicly released poll since Tommy Thompson announced he wouldn't run, has Feingold up on Terrence Wall 49 percent to 43 percent. Three percent backed some other candidate.

Against David Westlake, Feingold was up 49-38 with 4 percent backing some other candidate.

Though Dick Leinenkugel hasn't officially announced, Rasmussen matched him against Feingold. It found 48 percent backed Feingold, 37 percent supported Leinenkugel and 7 percent preferred some other candidate.

Dems generally dismiss Rasmussen surveys as right-leaning.

Congressional Quarterly reports that U.S. Sens. Russ Feingold of Middleton and Barbara Boxer of California received the maximum $42,600 from the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee during the first quarter of 2010.

The donation could be an indication of how the national party view Feingold's vulnerability this fall, but CQ notes that the contribution was made before former Gov. Tommy Thompson announced he would not enter the Senate GOP primary last week.

Feingold is currently facing Madison real estate developer Terrence Wall and Watertown small businessman David Westlake. And a source said this morning that former Commerce Secretary Dick Leinenkugel is finalizing details about his likely Senate run, with a formal announcement expected next week.

President Obama has nominated a UW-Milwaukee graduate to be ambassador to Iceland.

Luis Arreaga is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service who currently serves as director of the Office of Recruitment, Examination and Employment in the Bureau of Human Resources.

He earned his master's degree in management and his doctorate in economics from UW-Milwaukee.

Gov. Jim Doyle Tuesday lauded President Obama's "vision and investment" in awarding Wisconsin nearly $823 million for high speed passenger rail expansion and said the project will yield "tremendous economic benefits" and thousands of new jobs.

"(I)n 2013, Wisconsin could very well have the first high speed rail line built with Recovery Act funds up and running - a model for the future of high speed passenger rail in this country," Doyle told the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials.

The subcommittee met in Chicago to discuss the rail grants allocated under the stimulus act, which totaled more than $8 billion. The Recovery Act funding will largely pay for a high speed passenger rail line from Milwaukee to Madison with a study planned on hooking the line up to the Twin Cities.

U.S. Rep. Steve Kagen, D-Appleton, today announced that Marinette Marine Corp. has received a $73.6 million contract to construct a new Pacific Ocean fisheries survey vessel for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The contract is being funded through last year's federal stimulus legislation.

"This project will not only benefit the economy of Marinette County, but also benefits our scientific research community as it will greatly enhance our understanding of our ocean resources," Kagen said in a statement.

Gov. Jim Doyle traveled to Chicago Tuesday morning to testify before the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials.

Doyle will highlight the importance of high-speed rail to Wisconsin and the Midwest region.