Wisconsin state Sen. Leah Vukmir (R) has defeated former Marine Kevin Nicholson (R) for the right to face Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) in an uphill battle this fall.
Vukmir led Nicholson by 54 percent to 40 percent with 56 percent of the vote counted. The Associated Press has called the race.
Vukmir was heavily favored by Wisconsin’s powerful GOP establishment, winning the state party endorsement early on, getting strong support from many of the state’s powerful right-wing talk radio hosts, and winning backing from many elected officials including House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI). While Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) stayed officially neutral in the race, his son works on Vukmir’s campaign and his wife backed her.
But Nicholson, a former head of the College Democrats of America, had one valuable supporter: Deep-pocketed hard right-wing donor Dick Uihlein spent more than $10 million through super-PACs to back him and knock her down.
She starts her race as a heavy underdog against Baldwin, who has led her by high single digits in most recent private and public polls. Republicans hope that if Walker is winning comfortably this fall this race could become competitive — especially if Uihlein can be convinced to open up his wallet for her, and other wealthy Republicans decide to come in. Right now it looks like a long shot — and national Republicans are unlikely to prioritize the race given how many others appear like better shots for them this fall — but Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) looked like a dead man running at this point in the 2016 campaign before winning reelection.
Vukmir and Baldwin were quick out the gate to attack one another.
“Wisconsin needs a senator who represents and will work for the people who make our state great — not the far left or out-of-touch elites,” Vukmir said in a statement. “Sen. Tammy Baldwin has been a disaster our state.”
Baldwin fired back.
“Wisconsinites want someone who will be in their corner and stand up to powerful special interests in Washington, not a bought-and-paid-for Senator,” Baldwin said in a statement. “Leah Vukmir has a long record of putting her corporate special interest backers ahead of hardworking Wisconsin families, making the choice clear this November.”
Take her down Wisconsin, take all these gop goons out to the woodshed, electorally!
Tammy is the candidate that needs to be supported in WI. The Right has managed to smear were relentlessly on opioid abuse in our VA hospital (look up Tomah for the history) and there is a very strong campaign coming to ruin her. I have seen some very vitriolic statements against her in social media.
As with any Senator, Tammy makes mistakes, but she has attempted to recover and do the right thing. But she hardly has the prescription pad to authorize this stuff.
This is the one that needs all the support, folks. We can’t let her lose.
Vukmir:
So strike out the far left from this, and tell me how on earth someone who wants to support the Trump tax cuts is not supporting out of touch elites? These republicans really depend on a dumbed-down populace.
Because the low-information. Fox-watching voters are continuing to be told how wonderful all these moves Trump is making will make their lives. And the Democrats are doing nothing to counter that.
Baldwin is a progressive with grassroots support. I don’t see her losing to this establishment Trump toadie. Obviously take nothing for granted but Baldwin should win by double digits.