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People often complain about a lack of choices in political elections. The candidates appear to be so similar and to agree on many of the most talked about issues. A lot of the time, this drives people away from polling places, as they think it doesn’t make a difference who’s elected.

And then there’s the Wisconsin U.S. Senate race.

Last Tuesday, Tim Michels won the Republican primary by a surprisingly wide margin over Russ Darrow, Bob Lorge and Bob Welch. Darrow was considered the front-runner by many polls but lost to Michels by over 12 percentage points.

Michels now has about six weeks to prepare for his battle against Democratic incumbent Russ Feingold.

If you’re looking for a race worth watching and following, you got it. The two candidates could not be any more different.

Michels, an ex-Army officer and an Oconomowoc resident, is a multi-millionaire sitting at the head of one of the state’s biggest construction companies – Michels Corporation. He never has held a public office (his only other attempt was a failed run at state Senate in 1998), and to many liberals, he’s advancing the extreme right-wing agenda.

Feingold, a Janesville native and UW-Madison graduate, has been in the U.S. Senate for the last 12 years and in politics since 1982 when elected to the Wisconsin state Senate. To most conservatives, he’s so far left, he’s getting pushed off the edge by Michael Moore.

Feingold stands for almost everything Michels opposes, and Michels generally supports everything Feingold is against. Zell Miller wishes he could challenge people to duals? Well, this may not be a physical fight, but it’s an awesome clash of ideals.

Feingold has been critical of almost all major policies of the Bush administration. Michels is an outspoken Bush supporter – Feingold calls him “an agent of the Bush administration.”

Feingold was the only senator to vote against the U.S.A. Patriot. Act. All four Republican candidates bashed him to death for it during their respective campaigns, including Michels, who said on his Web site that, “Unlike Russ Feingold, I will vote to renew the Patriot Act, and I will be an ardent supporter of the Department of Homeland Security.”

Besides the Patriot Act, Michels supports the war in Iraq and the president’s tax cuts for the wealthy, two measures Feingold has been critical of.

On education, Feingold opposes No Child Left Behind and its mandatory testing, saying it should be left up to schools themselves and not the federal government. Michels supports the federal government getting involved.

Michels also says the Medicare legislation recently passed is “a step in the right direction.” Feingold voted against it.

Feingold is pro-choice. Michels is pro-life.

Seeing the differences between the two and how wide the margin of victory was for Michels, Republican leaders have gotten into the act.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the GOP gave Michels a $35,000 check on election night. Ed Gillispie, chairman of the Republican National Committee, joined Darrow, Michels and Welch at a unity event in Milwaukee the day after the primaries, pledging the party’s financial support.

Not that he is in dire need of funding. He’s already used $1 million of his own cash in the race, most likely coming from his corporation’s profits.

In fact, that may be one of the only similarities between the two, as Feingold is enjoying one of the perks that comes along with being the incumbent. According to a Journal Sentinel article, as of Aug. 25, he had about $2.29 million locked away for his re-election bid.

Pre-Labor Day polls had Feingold winning easily against any potential challengers, but Michels’ strong showing in the primary and the recent backing of his national party present a whole new look for voters.

And, as if the race needed another story line, some experts have argued that Feingold versus Michels will impact the presidential race between Bush and Kerry. Normally, the Senate race would have barely gotten a whisper nationally, but Wisconsin is a state widely regarded as one of the biggest keys to the presidential election, and the Senate race could affect voter turnout.

In other words, get ready for even more national media coverage to come to Wisconsin.

And the most exciting part of the whole thing will be the debates. Feingold has called for at least five before the election. The Michels campaign wants even more.

Does it get any better than this? Two candidates coming from different backgrounds and having different views on everything from Iraq to abortion rights will take part in what promises to be many spirited, thoughtful and entertaining debates.

The candidates know where they stand. Now, it’s up to voters to figure out where they do.