WASHINGTON – While only two Democrats in the Senate have embraced Senator Feingold’s call for censuring President Bush, the idea is increasing his standing among many Democratic voters as he ponders a bid for the party’s presidential nomination in 2008.

Mr. Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat, insists his proposal has nothing to do with his political ambitions. But he does challenge Democrats who argue it will help energize Republicans.

“Those Democrats said that within two minutes of my announcing my idea,” Mr. Feingold said in a telephone interview last week. “I don’t see any serious evidence of that.”

A Newsweek poll taken March 16-17 found that 50% of those surveyed opposed censuring Mr. Bush while 42% supported it, but among Democrats, 60% favored the effort.

Mr. Feingold’s resolution would censure the president for authorizing a warrantless surveillance program, which the senator contends is illegal. Co-sponsors are Democratic Senators Harkin of Iowa and Boxer of California.

Other Democrats have said bringing up such a punishment is not helpful before an investigation of the eavesdropping program is complete.

“I think to say that you should censure the president before you have had the inquiries is premature, so I don’t think it’s helpful to reach that conclusion at this point,” Senator Levin, a Democrat of Michigan, told “Fox News Sunday.”

Senator Kennedy, a Democrat of Massachusetts, agreed that it is too early to consider censure. He would not, however, rule out voting for such a measure if the Bush administration stonewalls a congressional investigation.