Former Wisconsin senator Feingold

RUSS

["Here’s a helpful hint for the clue:\n\n*\"First name of a well-known politician from the Badger State.\"*\n\nThis hint:\n- Narrows the focus to the first name (rather than the full name).\n- Reinforces the Wisconsin connection (\"Badger State\") without repeating \"senator.\"\n- Avoids giving away the answer directly while making it easier than the original clue."]

The clue "Former Wisconsin senator Feingold" leads to the answer **"RUSS"** through the following wordplay: 1. **Name Reference**: The clue refers to **Russ Feingold**, a well-known former U.S. Senator from Wisconsin (serving from 1993 to 2011). 2. **First Name Extraction**: The answer is derived from his first name, **"Russ"**, which is a common short form of "Russell." 3. **Crossword Convention**: In crosswords, clues often use the first name or a familiar abbreviation of a person's full name when referencing public figures. Thus, the straightforward connection is that "Feingold" is the last name of the senator, and "Russ" is his commonly used first name. No additional wordplay or puns are involved—just a direct reference to the individual's name.