Kevin Nicholson questions 'cognitive thought process' of military veterans in Democratic Party

U.S. Senate candidate Kevin Nicholson has made his U.S. Marine service a centerpiece in his bid to claim the Republican Party nomination.

But during a radio interview Wednesday Nicholson took a shot at military veterans who are Democrats, questioning their "cognitive thought process."

The exchange came during an interview with Steve Scaffidi of WTMJ-AM (620). They were discussing Nicholson's claim that his track record in the military is a conservative value.

Nicholson said: "And just because some people that don't call themselves conservatives and don't always act conservative do something conservative, like, let's talk about John Kerry — and signed up to serve this country. That doesn't mean that that's not a conservative thing to fundamentally protect and defend the Constitution.

"Because I'll tell you, the Democrat Party has wholesale rejected the Constitution and the values that it was founded upon. So I'll tell you what: Those veterans that are out there in the Democrat party, I question their, their cognitive thought process. Because the bottom line is, they're signing up to defend the Constitution that their party is continually dragging through the mud," Nicholson said.

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A one-time president of the College Democrats of America, Nicholson has been touting his conservative credentials as he takes on state Sen. Leah Vukmir of Brookfield for the GOP nomination.

Crystal Banse, an attorney who served six years in the Wisconsin U.S. Army National Guard, including three years of active duty and rose to captain. said she was offended by Nicholson's remarks.

Banse, a Democrat, said: "To me, the Constitution does not have a partisan slant. The military is a microcosm of our society. I served next to people of all genders, races, sexual orientations, conservatives, liberals, independents. Your role in the military is to defend people's ability to have different political views. It's all about freedom of speech and protecting our Constitution. Politics has no place in that."

Tom Palzewicz, a U.S. Navy veteran and Democrat from Brookfield seeking to challenge U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner in the fall, took issue with Nicholson's comment.

"It’s simply un-American to suggest that patriotism is partisan," Palzewicz said. "For almost every member of the Armed Forces, for veterans, for military families, country comes before party, but apparently not for Kevin Nicholson. He should be ashamed."