Leah Vukmir claims U.S. Senate endorsement at Wisconsin GOP convention

Round one went to Leah Vukmir.

But the race for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate looks set to go the distance.

Vukmir overwhelmingly won the endorsement at Saturday's state Republican Party convention with about 72% of the vote, but her rival, Kevin Nicholson, vowed to press on to the Aug. 14 primary.

The outcome wasn't a surprise since Vukmir, a state senator from Brookfield, has long links with the party's grass roots while Nicholson, a Delafield businessman and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, is making his first run for office.

Still, Republicans face a months-long struggle to elect a nominee to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin in November.

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The convention endorsement gives Vukmir a vital edge, with access to the party's infrastructure. But Nicholson remains powered by millions of dollars in spending from groups and individuals outside Wisconsin, as well as about 9,000 donors in the state.

During her speech to delegates, Vukmir emphasized her credentials as a nurse, a military mom and a "proven, consistent conservative" who has helped Republicans enact reforms in the state.

"Together, we've delivered in Wisconsin," she said. "Together we broke the stranglehold of public-sector unions and we created an economic miracle in our state."

"They call me a career politician," she said of jibes that have come her way during the lead-up to the convention. "They call us insiders. They call us the establishment."

But she pitched herself as someone who could stand her ground against Baldwin.

"If we're going to beat Tammy Baldwin, we're going to need a strong conservative, someone who will hold her feet to the fire, someone liberals will go crazy about," she said.

Vukmir's name was placed in nomination by Rachel Campos-Duffy, wife of U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy.

In a surprise, among those to second the nomination was Reince Priebus, the former White House chief of staff who once helped run the state GOP.

Nicholson sought to win over delegates with a sober speech, detailing "the docket of the Senate," and the vital issues that are debated and decided.

He discussed his life story, born in Milwaukee, raised in a family of Democrats, and eventually becoming president of the College Democrats of America. But through his experiences in war, business and raising a family, he followed a path to being a conservative.

Nicholson said that President Donald Trump has "proven it will take outsiders to push back on this political aristocracy in Washington." But in a bow to the importance of party, he added: "We're not here today to fight each other but we're here to unite," to defeat a liberal ideology that Baldwin believes in.

Nicholson's name was placed in nomination by his wife, Jessie. He was seconded by his uncle, Dale, who acknowledged the political divide within the family — Kevin Nicholson's parents and brother have donated money to Baldwin's campaign.

Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson told the convention he would be "happy to serve with either Kevin Nicholson or Leah Vukmir."

Earlier, Johnson told reporters that he wanted Vukmir and Nicholson "to be respectful" through the primary campaign.

"I want them both to run a general election campaign against Tammy Baldwin and not each other. Let the better person win," he said.

Democrats were unimpressed with Vukmir's convention victory.

"After 15 years of undermining our state's working families and championing special interest corruption in Madison, it’s no surprise that Sen. Vukmir can now add the Republican Party of Wisconsin to her list of supporters along with the billionaire backer (Beloit billionaire Diane Hendricks) propping up her candidacy," said Brad Bainum, a spokesman for the state Democratic Party.

Speaking from the floor of the convention hall, Gov. Scott Walker sought to provide a wake-up call and some inspiration for the delegates. While he officially unveiled his campaign theme of "Wisconsin Wins the 21st Century," Walker also showed he wasn't shy to mix it up with Democrats.

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He threw a jab at the large field of Democratic candidates for governor and said: "Not only are they moving further and further to the left, but their rhetoric is increasingly filled with anger and hatred."

"Sadly, the left seems consumed with anger and hatred," he added. "They’re angry at me. They’re angry at the president. They are angry at all of you. They are angry with just about anyone who dares to agree with Republicans."

Walker ticked off the successes of his two terms, including right-to-work, Act 10, tax cuts and robust and employment numbers. And he said his "Wisconsin Wins the 21st Century" agenda includes a high school graduation rate that is "one of the best in the nation" and having "one of the highest percentages of people in the workforce of any state in the nation."

"We want Wisconsin to have some of the best health care systems in the country for quality," he said. "Along with that, we want to have one of the greatest reductions in opioid and illegal drug addiction of any state."