Kevin Nicholson Suspends Campaign

pic.twitter.com/bZo5hKquW2

— Kevin Nicholson (@KevinMNicholson) July 5, 2022

Kevin Nicholson Endorses Leah Vukmir

.@tammybaldwin backed the Iran deal that sent billions to the world’s #1 state sponsor of terror. No matter what Senator Baldwin says, sending cash to terrorists is not a formula for peace. We can’t trust Tammy Baldwin with our future. #WISen Watch more from @restorationpac: pic.twitter.com/wTcFJUyMay

— Kevin Nicholson (@KevinMNicholson) October 11, 2018

"We can't trust Tammy Baldwin with our future."

Vote for Leah Vukmir.

Leah Vukmir Wins

BREAKING: Leah Vukmir wins Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin primary election. #APracecall at 9:41 p.m. CDT. #Election2018 #WIprimary pic.twitter.com/IOqYKHf8tI

— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) August 15, 2018

Congratulations to @LeahVukmir on her victory! It’s time we retire liberal @tammybaldwin and send a bold conservative to take our #WisconsinWay to Washington! #WISen pic.twitter.com/UK1yK0rIIv

— Wisconsin GOP (@wisgop) August 15, 2018

I am so happy Leah Vukmir has won the Wisconsin Republican primary for U.S. Senate!

Thank you! We did this together — as the grassroots! Now it’s time to beat @TammyBaldwin this fall! 🇺🇸#wisen pic.twitter.com/OQQmsSpVC3

— Leah Vukmir (@LeahVukmir) August 15, 2018

In November, a woman will win Wisconsin's election for U.S. Senate.

Let's make sure the winner is Leah Vukmir.

Breitbart Attacks Vukmir for Never Trump Staffers' Tweets

Breitbart has a lengthy piece detailing the anti-Trump tweets of the staffers of Wisconsin U.S. Senate primary candidate Leah Vukmir.

Matthew Boyle writes:

Leah Vukmir, a candidate for the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate in Wisconsin against pro-Trump businessman and Marine Kevin Nicholson, has made the decision to surround herself with opponents of President Donald Trump from the so-called Never Trump movement.

At least three of her staffers have very publicly declared allegiance to Never Trump, and regularly tweet or have tweeted harsh rightwing criticisms of the president.

The candidate herself and one of her staffers back in 2015 mocked supporters of now-President Trump as “Trumpkins,” and her staffers have by and large declared their allegiance to “Never Trump.” Not only that, staffers have made comments bashing Fox News host Sean Hannity, propping up then-Fox News host Megyn Kelly, questioning the judgment of Donald Trump, Jr., wishing Trump would be knocked out of the presidential race, and criticizing Trump even long after he became president.

Most of the staffers' anti-Trump tweets cited by Breitbart date back to 2016, before the presidential election. Some go back as far as 2011. Breitbart found very few anti-Trump tweets after Trump's election and his historic Wisconsin victory.

The two tweets Breitbart highlights from Leah Vukmir were posted on September 29, 2015.

Vukmir, in two tweets on Sept. 29, 2015, derided supporters of President Trump as “Trumpkins.” The term comes from devout Never Trumper Charlie Sykes, who Vukmir gives credit for coining the term in both tweets:

.@SykesCharlie, at the @gopbadgers mtg tonight I took an informal poll of who they like for prez. Very few Trumpkins. Lots of Rubio fans.

— Leah Vukmir (@LeahVukmir) September 30, 2015

In the second tweet, she even praises Sykes saying the Never Trump leader should trademark the term “Trumpkins” including a symbol for doing so:

.@HalesCornersFan No - but @SykesCharlie is clever for coming up with the name. He should trademark it—Trumpkins®.

— Leah Vukmir (@LeahVukmir) September 30, 2015

It comes as no surprise to those of us in Wisconsin that Republican political players were deriding Trump the person and Trump the candidate. Charlie Sykes led the Never Trump movement using his talk radio program as a platform.

At the time, I wrote that "Trumpkins" was an offensive term. Trump supporters were mocked, just as they continue to be mocked by Democrats, Never Trumpers, and their media accomplices today. Sykes not only effusively used "Trumpkins" to marginalize those of us refusing to take part in giving Hillary Clinton the presidency, he called Trump voters racist. He declared Hillary to be preferable to Trump.

It was ugly. So, that's the context.

What's left out in the Breitbart piece is that Leah Vukmir eventually supported Trump's candidacy. She was not part of the Never Trump crowd that stubbornly refused to vote for Trump. Vukmir voted for Trump. It's disingenuous to paint her as an anti-Trump agent.

What's also left out of the Breitbart article is that Kevin Nicholson was a Democrat star, active in the party, even securing a full-time position at the DNC in Washington.

His high-profile stint as a Democrat, followed by what is better described as an evolution rather than a road-to-Damascus conversion, offers lip-licking openings for opponents to question his credibility, consistency and character. What has turned up so far—a laudatory letter he penned in 2000 to the pro-abortion group EMILY’s List; questions about his voting record in the 2008 primary; personal attacks from his former college roommate—are the political equivalent of body blows.

One of Nicholson's biggest problems may be his documented pro-abortion past.

I guess Breitbart has to dredge up old anti-Trump tweets made by staffers in an effort to discredit Vukmir considering Nicholson has that albatross.

It's a desperate move, but we know Vukmir. We know she made it clear she intended to vote for Trump in 2016, and didn't give in to the Never Trumpers. We know her pro-life record. We know her role in enacting Gov. Scott Walker's reforms that have put Wisconsin back on track and moving forward again.

Some negative tweets made by staffers about Trump in 2016 are not going to erase Vukmir's stellar conservative record serving the people of Wisconsin.

Kevin Nicholson - Wisconsin Right to Life Endorsement

From WisPolitics:

Wisconsin Right to Life’s Political Action Committee has endorsed the following candidates for the August 14th, 2018 Primary Election:

U.S. Senate

Kevin Nicholson (R)

Leah Vukmir (R)

I am honored to receive this endorsement from @WRTL. I’m thankful for the pro-life community’s efforts to protect life and tirelessly work to educate & encourage people to embrace the importance of protecting innocent life. #WISen #WIRight pic.twitter.com/j8YEnQVdpV

— Kevin Nicholson (@KevinMNicholson) July 13, 2018

NICHOLSON STATEMENT ON WISCONSIN RIGHT TO LIFE PAC ENDORSEMENT

July 13, 2018 – (Delafield, WI) – Cheyenne Foster, Campaign Manager for Marine veteran and political outsider Kevin Nicholson, issued the following statement regarding the Wisconsin Right to Life PAC Endorsement of Kevin Nicholson:

"The Wisconsin Right to Life PAC endorsement of Kevin Nicholson is a direct rebuke of the misleading attacks that Leah Vukmir and her allies have made on Kevin's pro-life beliefs. While Kevin was not raised in a pro-life home, his faith, the birth of his
children, and his time spent in combat where he saw the loss of innocent life made an enormous impact on his views, leading to his strong and undeniable support for life.

In addition to their work to protect human life, the pro-life community works tirelessly to educate and encourage people to embrace the importance of protecting innocent life, as Kevin has. Attacking or questioning a person's individual journey to supporting life is an affront to the many who have experienced the same conversion. We are thankful the Wisconsin Right to Life PAC recognizes Kevin's true belief in protecting life – along with Wisconsin Family Action who has also endorsed him, and Pro-Life Wisconsin, who gave him a 100% rating."

Kevin Nicholson went on to express his appreciation for the Wisconsin Right to Life PAC’s
endorsement:

"I am honored to receive this endorsement. My focus remains on defeating Tammy Baldwin so that sensible people can work together to protect innocent life. The importance of defeating Tammy Baldwin was highlighted again this week, when Baldwin indicated that she wouldn't support President Trump's nomination of Constitutional originalist justices like Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who understand that our Constitution is fundamentally a pro-life document."

Nicholson is a decorated Marine Corps veteran who served combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He currently works as a business consultant, helping companies solve their toughest problems. He is a first-time candidate running in the Republican primary to defeat Democrat Tammy Baldwin. He and his wife live in Delafield with their three young children.

That's sort of odd.

WRTL gave Kevin Nicholson an unqualified endorsement.

The group does qualified endorsement to candidates. For example, Todd Novak received an endorsement with an asterisk.

**This candidate received a qualified endorsement due to his or her position on rape and incest exceptions.

No asterisk for Nicholson?

From WMTV:

Republican Senate candidate Kevin Nicholson says he would be open to bills cracking down on abortions that provide exceptions for such things as rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother.

That is a difference from his Republican challenger state Sen. Leah Vukmir who supports a zero-exception abortion ban.

Nicholson said at a Wispolitics.com luncheon Tuesday that he would decide whether and what exceptions were permissible on a "case by case" basis if the legislation "appreciably saves human lives."

He says he wants legislation that "saves the unborn and does it in a way that's enforceable."

Nicholson says the ultimate consideration on whether he would back abortion legislation with exceptions depends on how it would be enacted and if it's enforceable.

Is Kevin Nicholson more pro-life than Tammy Baldwin? Absolutely.

Is he as pro-life as Leah Vukmir? No.

I don't doubt that Nicholson would support some pro-life legislation which would be a dramatic improvement over Tammy Baldwin. But, I think it's dishonest to give him the same endorsement as Vukmir.



I don't think Nicholson is misrepresenting his current stance on abortion, though his past comments about abortion are something to consider.

People can change their views as Nicholson did.

Unlike Nicholson, Leah Vukmir has been consistently and without qualification pro-life. That difference should be reflected in the WRTL endorsement.

Vukmir and Nicholson Spar

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The increasingly acrimonious Republican Party primary for U.S. Senate has spilled over to the airwaves this week with Kevin Nicholson and Leah Vukmir trading verbal jabs on talk radio.

One day after Nicholson appeared to dismiss the endorsements Vukmir has received from top Republicans like House Speaker Paul Ryan and U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, Vukmir went on air Wednesday to defend the party's senior leaders.

"What the grassroots in Wisconsin can't understand ... why is Kevin not complimentary of our conservative accomplishments, what we've achieved here in Wisconsin," Vukmir said.

...The interviews were conducted by Dan O'Donnell of WISN-AM (1130).

...During his Tuesday interview with Nicholson, O'Donnell pointed out the endorsements Vukmir received from the GOP leaders as well as backing from Gov. Scott Walker's family. The governor hasn't endorsed in the race and has promised to support the winner of the primary.

"Look, I'm the outside candidate, Dan," Nicholson said. "If you needed any verification, you got it. I could not be more comfortable with the way this race is breaking down. Look, I am not of the political class. And boy, does the political class know it and does the political class fear it."

...Later in the interview, Nicholson said: "If you want an establishment politician who is part of the inside class who is obviously trying to protect themselves as best they can from the citizenry, boy, don't vote for me."

He said he wasn't going to Washington to become part of the political class, adding, "The other members of the delegation, they can be nervous about this all they want but I'm not going there to be their friend."

On Wednesday, Vukmir said that Nicholson "can't have it both ways." She claimed Nicholson condemned Walker, her and her colleagues as insiders while also touting endorsements he has received from U.S. Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah.

...Vukmir was asked by O'Donnell if Nicholson had made a point that politicians who know each other simply endorse their friends.

"What that shows is he clearly doesn't understand Wisconsin, Wisconsin politics and let's face it, he hasn't lived here his whole life as I have," she said.

Nicholson, born in Milwaukee, attended the University of Minnesota and was in the U.S. Marine Corps and attended graduate school before returning to Wisconsin.

An opponent criticized me today & said: “he hasn’t lived here [in WI] his whole life as I have.” Yes, it's true. I joined the military, lived in Iraq & Afg & protected this country, including your right to attack me. Nonsense like this is the reason people hate politicians. pic.twitter.com/cAWivZx2yK

— Kevin Nicholson (@KevinMNicholson) July 11, 2018

I don't think Vukmir was referring to the time Nicholson spent in Iraq and Afghanistan serving in the military. (Did you know Nicholson was a Marine?)

I think Vukmir is referring to the time Nicholson spent living and working in Washington, D.C., as well as his time as a student in Minnesota and on the east coast while attending Harvard and Dartmouth.

It's not fair for Nicholson to suggest Vukmir is criticizing him for being out of Wisconsin during his military service.

Nicholson has to be careful about overplaying the Marine card to cover criticism for his past as a Democrat leader.

Moreover, we know Leah Vukmir. She's not a swamp-dwelling Washington insider.

I believe Vukmir is the best choice to defeat Tammy Baldwin in November. But without question, if Nicholson wins the primary, I will fully support him. I don't like the sparring. It bloodies both candidates, but it's unavoidable.

Bottom line: Anyone but Tammy Baldwin.

_______________________

From Politico: He’s the Republican Dream Candidate. There’s Just One Problem ...

Two decades ago, Kevin Nicholson was a rising star in the Democratic Party. Then he disappeared. Now he’s running for U.S. Senate — as a conservative Republican.

Leah Vukmir Ad - 'Threatened'

Leah Vukmir released an ad today that has people talking.

That's exactly what an ad should do.

The ad is called "Threatened."

Watch:



How one responds to this ad has a lot to do with what one brings to the table.

If you live in Wisconsin, if you were around during the Act 10 Democrat insurgency, you understand what Leah Vukmir is saying.

I remember the occupation of the capitol and the protests of the crazed, deranged Leftists. It was similar to what we see now in response to President Trump, complete lunacy. The insanity of the Democrats and the death threats directed at Scott Walker and other Republicans, like Vukmir, are vivid memories, making the current display of Trump Derangement Syndrome so familiar. Here in Wisconsin, we've witnessed the Democrats melt down. Of course, their meltdown caused Gov. Scott Walker to make history and win the recall election.

While Leah Vukmir, Scott Walker and his family, and others received threats of violence, we all were threatened. The Democrats' attempted to undo the election. They had a tantrum and we stood firm. We won.

That context must be addressed when viewing the ad.

The family photos at the beginning ground the message. It's clear that the safety and well-being of our loved ones must be defended and Vukmir intends to do that.

As the camera pans past the photos and through the room, we see Vukmir seated at the table as she addresses the viewer. The camera draws the viewer toward her and into her message. It's as if we're sitting across from her. It's very effective.

What's on the table is causing some controversy. There's that big gun.

It is somewhat jarring, as reality can be, but it's not disturbing. She's not holding the gun. She's not pointing the gun at anyone, but it's there, ready to use to defend if necessary.

The ad does not advocate violence. To the contrary, it displays the reality of good people exercising their rights under the Constitution. It's a visual representation that Vukmir is a strong person, refusing to give in to the relentless threats that conservatives receive. Vukmir showed her mettle in 2011 and 2012 when she took on union bosses. Later, she worked to defund Planned Parenthood. She reminds the viewer that she isn't a spineless Republican, even mentioning her intent to work with President Trump.

Showing Vukmir with the gun also speaks to her primary opponent, Kevin Nicholson. Nicholson, a Marine veteran, focuses on his military service in his campaign, "Send in the Marine." This ad dispels the notion that Vukmir isn't as tough as Nicholson. Although she wasn't a Marine, she's not going to back down in a fight. Also, very effective.

In addition to the gun silently sending a message, there's the cross. Vukmir wears a cross necklace that's impossible to miss. When I watched the ad, I didn't take the cross to be a rallying cry to Christians. Much like the gun, I see it as an embrace of our freedoms. Vukmir is unashamed to express her faith. The cross doesn't exclude anyone. It sends the message that we each have the right to worship according to our own conscience.

I'm sure people will yap that this ad is full of dog whistles. While it is packed with meaning, I don't think its meaning is hidden.

It's all out there on the table.

Leah Vukmir - WI GOP Endorsement

.@LeahVukmir is a proven conservative who can take on and defeat liberal Tammy Baldwin this November! pic.twitter.com/0AWfcfAIPm

— Wisconsin GOP (@wisgop) May 14, 2018

From The Hill:

Wisconsin state Sen. Leah Vukmir nabbed the endorsement of the state GOP convention on Saturday, giving her Senate primary campaign a boost.

Vukmir eclipsed the 60 percent threshold of convention delegates needed to secure the endorsement over Marine veteran Kevin Nicholson with 72 percent of the vote.

The victory does not secure her the GOP nomination, which will be decided by voters in August. But it gives her access to key party infrastructure — a boon in a state that has one of the more robust grass-roots operations — and it also serves as a useful fundraising and organizing tool.

...Former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, a Wisconsin native, returned to the state Saturday to encourage delegates to back Vukmir in an effort to take on incumbent Democrat Baldwin in the fall.

“We don’t have to spend millions of dollars fighting each other, or allow millions of dollars from outside of Wisconsin to come in here and tear our candidates apart. We have a proven conservative, Christian, principled, Republican — lifelong, I might add — candidate right now who can actually beat liberal Tammy Baldwin. And her name is Leah Vukmir," he said. “There is no reason to make this Republican Party race for Senate complicated. Leah Vukmir did everything she said — never turned her back on the conservative movement. Leah Vukmir is everything we can ask for in a public servant.”

Nicholson’s camp, meanwhile, showed videos from Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) on Saturday ahead of the vote, with the conservative lawmakers stressing the Marine veteran's status as a political outsider.

I'm very happy about the Wisconsin's GOP endorsement.

Leah Vukmir is my choice to be the Republican nominee to challenge far-Left Democrat Tammy Baldwin. I'll be voting for her in the August primary.

Her record as a conservative and reformer are established. Although she has experience in politics, something that adds to her qualifications to be a U.S. senator, I don't think of her as a political insider. That term is reserved for swamp types. Vukmir will stand by her conservative principles. I don't think she'll buckle or be pulled under by pressure from swamp dwellers. I trust her. Moreover, I believe she stands the best chance of defeating Baldwin in November. I want Vukmir to represent me in the U.S. Senate.

If Kevin Nicholson wins the primary, I will vote for him and I'll encourage others to do so.

But the goal is to unseat Baldwin, and I hope Wisconsinites choose Vukmir as the candidate to do it. I think she can win.

Reince Priebus Endorses Leah Vukmir

.@Reince knows exactly what it takes to win in Wisconsin, and I am honored to have his support for my U.S. Senate campaign. 🇺🇸#wisen #wiright #maga pic.twitter.com/ghHM22CHtc

— Senator Leah Vukmir (@LeahVukmir) January 22, 2018

Reince Priebus knows Wisconsin politics.

He successfully orchestrated the Republican revolution in 2010, helping Scott Walker become governor and Ron Johnson unseat Russ Feingold.

Of course, as chairman of the RNC, he went on to play a vital role in the successes of Election 2016, delivering the House, the Senate, and the presidency to Republicans.

He served as President Trump's chief of staff.

Although Priebus has held high profile positions, I don't think he's received the recognition he deserves.

On Monday, Mark Belling interviewed Priebus. They discussed his endorsement of Leah Vukmir for U.S. Senate, a great endorsement for her.

During the very interesting and enlightening interview, Priebus said he continues to speak with President Trump on a regular basis.

REINCE PRIEBUS: As far as I'm concerned, I think the president is doing a great job. I still have a good relationship with the president. We meet, we talk on the phone, I support him, and I'm going to continue to do it. I'm never going to be one of these people who write books and spout my mouth off. It's just not who I am. It's not the legacy I want to be. And as you know me, I'll never become that. So, I look at the fundamentals. And if you look at the fundamentals, you look at the economy, you look at unemployment, you look at ISIS, you look at the courts, you look at the federal courts more than any president in one year in the history of our country -- he gets an A+.

...

I talk to him maybe every three or four or five days. We met for lunch a couple times. I think we both appreciate each other and like each other and consider each other friends. We talk sometimes about the issues of the day or something that's going on that's in the news and what maybe a good way around it is, and the same things we've always talked about. I don't want to get into too much of that, Mark, but it's a good relationship, and, you know, he deserves loyalty from people that he gave an opportunity to.

LISTEN: Mark's interview with former Chief of Staff @Reince: https://t.co/lAZf0233yu

— Mark Belling (@MarkBellingShow) January 22, 2018

The podcast of the show is here. The Priebus interview begins at 93:00.

I'm very happy that Priebus has endorsed Leah Vukmir, a solid Republican sure to serve the citizens of Wisconsin well.

Ted Cruz Endorses Kevin Nicholson

CRUZ: “I am proud to offer my endorsement and support to Kevin Nicholson in his campaign, and am asking the people of Wisconsin to send conservative reinforcements by electing him to serve in the Senate.” pic.twitter.com/xi1eD6Towi

— Kevin Nicholson (@KevinMNicholson) January 4, 2018

OK.

I'm endorsing Leah Vukmir.

Kevin Nicholson and Steve Bannon

U.S. Senate candidate Kevin Nicholson has a problem - Steve Bannon.

From the Associated Press, via Beloit Daily News:

U.S. Senate candidate Leah Vukmir is calling on her Republican opponent Kevin Nicholson to disavow former White House strategist Steve Bannon over comments attributed to him in a new book.

According to excerpts of Michael Wolff's book released Wednesday, Bannon thought Trump's son's contact with a Russian lawyer during the campaign was "treasonous" and "unpatriotic."

Jess Ward, Vukmir's campaign manager, calls Bannon's comments a "vicious attack" against the president and his family. She says that combined with Bannon's endorsement of losing Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore should lead "any self-respecting Republican" to question his role in the party.

Without question, Nicholson needs to distance himself from Bannon.

Bannon is ballot box poison.

Nicholson's response to the Bannon matter will tell Wisconsin voters a lot. Nicholson has an opportunity here to assert himself as a good candidate. However, it appears that he prefers to keep Bannon happy.

Leah Vukmir - Not a RINO

Dan O'Donnell writes that the Club for Growth sent a "highly misleading email to supporters, urging them to donate to Kevin Nicholson's Senate campaign by claiming that State Sen. Leah Vukmir, Nicholson's opponent in the Republican primary, is a 'RINO.'"

From the Club for Growth email:

Wisconsin offers another conservative vs. RINO primary and a chance to pick up a GOP seat in a swing state. As a US Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and a private businessman, Kevin Nicholson knows a thing or two about making America great. He is running against career politician State Sen. Leah Vukmir in the Republican Primary and against progressive Sen. Tammy Baldwin in the general.

This isn't going to play well in Wisconsin.

We know Leah Vukmir. We know she's not a RINO. Good grief.

There is no way I would consider Vukmir the RINO in the race.

The career politician label doesn't apply either.

Vukmir is a registered nurse and a pediatric nurse practitioner, spending more than 25 years in the field. She was first elected to the Assembly in 2002.

Vukmir has extensive experience in nursing as well as politics. The term 'career politician' distorts the reality of her life's work.

Kevin Nicholson needs to disavow the claims in the email, because they're false.