Bill Glauber

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Janesville has put his campaign cash into the thick of Wisconsin's election fight.

While in the middle of a primary challenge against businessman Paul Nehlen, Ryan in May transferred $500,000 from the Ryan for Congress campaign account to the Republican Party of Wisconsin, records show.

The infusion nearly doubled the total revenue for the state GOP in the second quarter of the year. At the end of June, the state GOP had a little more than $1 million cash on hand.

The money will be used to bolster the state GOP's get-out-the-vote effort ahead of the November election.

"Wisconsin Republicans have repeatedly fought and won tough elections in recent years," said Kevin Seifert, executive director of the speaker's political operation.

"The strength of this success stems from having a united Republican Party in the Badger State — where our grass-roots volunteers and elected leaders work hand in hand to engage and turn out voters," Seifert said in a statement. "Our ground operation provides a major advantage heading into November when everything is on the line. Paul Ryan and Wisconsin Republicans are all in for Ron Johnson, Mike Gallagher and the rest of our Republican reformers in Wisconsin."

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State Republicans are relying heavily on the ground game they honed during Gov. Scott Walker's three election victories, in 2010, the 2012 recall and 2014. They're banking on turning out their voters, despite a recent Marquette University Law School poll that showed GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump trailing Democrat Hillary Clinton by 15 points among likely voters.

The last Republican to win the presidential contest in Wisconsin was Ronald Reagan in 1984.

Republicans are trying to hold the Senate seat of Johnson, who is in a tough re-election fight against Democrat and former three-term U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold.

There is also a key battle in the 8th Congressional District, where Gallagher faces Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson, a Democrat. The incumbent Republican, Reid Ribble, is retiring from Congress.

Brad Courtney, chairman of the state GOP, said the party was "humbled by the support" from Ryan and added the "investment will make our party even stronger, building an unprecedented ground game to elect Republicans up and down the ballot in 2016."