Wisconsin Senate candidate Kevin Nicholson distances himself from Steve Bannon in radio interview

Responding to criticism about being endorsed by former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kevin Nicholson has tried to find a way to turn it to his advantage.

According to Nicholson, he really has the backing of Ed Rollins.

Nicholson made the argument during a Monday radio interview, a neat sleight-of-hand since Rollins rose to political fame helping another Democrat-turned-Republican, Ronald Reagan.

"The endorsement that I received is actually from the Great America PAC, and guess who runs it: Ed Rollins, one of the architects of the Reagan revolution," said Nicholson, a former Democrat.

Nicholson made the comments during an interview with Dan O'Donnell of WISN-AM (1130).

Of course, Nicholson was quick to claim Bannon's backing soon after winning the endorsement of the Bannon-allied super PAC in October, tweeting: "Excited to receive an endorsement from the Great America PAC and Steve Bannon."

His campaign also highlighted the endorsement in a digital ad in November.

The Bannon endorsement hasn't aged well.

Bannon stepped down from his post at Breitbart News and came under fire in conservative circles for his comments on President Donald Trump and his family in the book, "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House" by Michael Wolff.

State Sen. Leah Vukmir of Brookfield called on Nicholson to disavow the endorsement. Nicholson and Vukmir are in a heated GOP primary to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin in November.

"Let me be clear, I reject Steve Bannon’s recent comments which disparage our president and his family," Nicholson said in a statement. "They’re inexcusable. At a time when our leadership in Washington is working to build off of the momentum of President Trump’s massive tax cut victory, the last thing we need is more Republican infighting.

"The tax cut victory is a great example of what we can do when our party stands united in our shared goals. Moving forward, our energies must be focused on uniting our party behind the Trump agenda, building bridges across the entirety of the conservative spectrum, and bringing in new, diverse voices to the discussion. We should have no appetite for nor should we tolerate anything less than that."

In the radio interview, Nicholson noted that Rollins has spoken positively about him and added, "That's the kind of person I want on my side."

Rollins, chief strategist of Great America PAC, said: "I knew Ronald Reagan. I worked at the top levels of the White House during both terms, and managed his ‘84 re-election. Kevin Nicholson is exactly the type of candidate the president would have loved — a Marine, a real conservative and a fresh reinforcement to the conservative cause, rather than another career politician."

Brad Bainum, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, hit Nicholson on the Bannon matter. In a statement, Bainum said: "Months after bragging and advertising about Steve Bannon's endorsement, and weeks after refusing to disavow the white nationalist, Kevin Nicholson is now claiming he never even received Bannon's endorsement in the first place. Nicholson's pathological willingness to deceive Wisconsinites is deeply disturbing."