Former Wisconsin governor Thompson to join Senate race

(Reuters) - Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson said Monday he planned to join the increasingly crowded race for the Wisconsin senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Herb Kohl.

"I filed my incorporation documents today which allows me to build my organization, raise money so I can go out there and tell the story," Thompson said on WTMJ-AM 620 radio. Thompson, a Republican who served four terms as governor and then as Secretary of Health and Human Services during the George W. Bush administration, said an official announcement will come soon.

The seat is also being contested by Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat and one of the few openly gay members of Congress. Republican contenders include former Rep. Mark Neumann and Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, who led the fight to curb public worker union rights.

Kohl, a Democrat, was elected to four terms. Democrats in 2010 lost a long-time Senate seat held by the party when former Democratic Senator Russ Feingold was beaten by Republican challenger Ron Johnson. Feingold has decided not to run for any office in 2012, but will stay in academia.

Responding to Thompson's announcement, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate noted that while Tea Party "extremists" have attacked Thompson for his "big-spending ways," others see Thompson's playing up to the Tea Party as "a sign of a typical politician who just can't get off the stage."

Asked in the radio interview to respond to criticism that he is not conservative enough on some issues, Thompson called himself "the original conservative" who had carried the state for the party four times. He criticized President Obama's proposal for new taxes on the rich Wednesday, saying the country instead needs "to get our spending back in control."

(Writing by Mary Wisniewski, Editing by Greg McCune)