This was the correct move for his political future and for the benefit of Wisconsin in this race. Classy bow out. I look forward to him continuing to advance conservatism in Wisconsin for years to come.

NICHOLSON STATEMENT SUSPENDING CAMPAIGN

DELAFIELD, Wis. –– Today, Kevin Nicholson, a Marine Corps combat veteran, political outsider, and a Republican candidate for Wisconsin governor, released the following statement announcing he is suspending his campaign:

 

“When my family and I started this campaign, we knew it would be an uphill battle. I am not part of the insider political class and am a threat to all they hold dear. 

We have had many highs over the last six months, and I am proud of what we have built. I’ve traveled our state and heard from thousands of Wisconsinites who believe our society is off track, who want an outsider as their governor, and not someone from the Madison Machine. 

I have been encouraged by our supporters, and the old and new friends that my family and I have met on the trail. I love this state and the people in it and truly believe that – though we face great challenges – our best days lay ahead.

Over the past week, I have assessed the state of the primary race and it has become clear to me and my team the only path forward for our campaign is attacking the other candidates in the race on the airwaves and running a very negative campaign. While our team has the capability to do that, that is not something I want to do – nor do I believe that it would be good for the party to do so. This election is too important for our state and our movement.

So today, I am suspending my campaign for Governor. I want to thank all the thousands of people who have donated, volunteered, and supported my campaign. It has been an honor.

I do not plan to make any endorsements in the race before the primary. I will whole heartily support the nominee on August 10^th and will work to get Republicans up and down the ballot elected. Our fight is not over, and I will continue to be engaged on the battlefield to elect conservative outsiders in the state of Wisconsin.”

Kevin will join Mark Belling on News/Talk 1130 WISN during the 5 o’clock hour of the show to further discuss his decision.

What happens to the 10% of Republicans who were supporting Nicholson? My guess is that they follow his lead and will come out to vote. My further guess is that they will split relatively evenly between Michels and Kleefisch with a small percentage going to Ramthun. But it’s just a guess.

Ouch.

Nicholson running an ad trying to show that Vukmir is insufficiently pro-Trump is just dishonest and insulting to Republican voters’ intelligence. Maybe Nicholson is right with this gamble. Maybe he can get away with lying about Vukmir’s record. And since his campaign is staffed by “outsiders,” none of them will pay a price for their dishonesty, including those that have also criticized Trump in 2016 like consultant Jeff Roe. He predicted the Republican Party would have to change its name if Trump was nominated.

This level of dishonesty by Nicholson calls into question his honesty about everything else he has said in the campaign. When ambition means more to a former U.S. Marine than honor, when truth is just an inconvenience, then Nicholson is not fighting “the swamp.” He’s bringing “the swamp” to Wisconsin politics, and he is a creature of the swamp’s making.

James Wigderson
Editor
RightWisconsin

Wigderson is correct. I would add that many Conservatives really like Nicholson’s messaging and stances on the issues. They are identical to Leah Vukmir’s. The difference is that Vukmir has 20 years of proven performance in office supporting the issues important to Conservatives and Nicholson gives a good speech. I take Nicholson’s conversion from passionate liberal to passionate conservative at face value. Such a conversion often happens as people mature. But given the choice of two solid conservatives – one with a record and one without – I’m going to go with the safer choice of the one with a record. Past performance is often a great predictor of future performance. Vukmir has performed wonderfully on behalf of conservatives in the Wisconsin legislature and I expect her to do the same in the U.S. Senate.

For those who are supporting Nicholson, I understand it and I appreciate the assets that Nicholson brings to the table in a campaign against Baldwin. But Nicholson’s conservative supporters do have to take it as an article of faith that he is telling the truth about his conservatism. They have to trust him. But his recent decision to outright lie about a fellow conservative undermines that trust. If he is willing to lie about Vukmir’s record and allow his surrogates to deny her proven conservatism, is he willing to lie about being Pro-Life? Is he willing to lie about being pro-2nd Amendment? Is he willing to lie about being a fiscal hawk? Is he willing to lie… about being a conservative?

I don’t know, but his recent behavior sure introduces some doubt.

Heh.

GOP U.S. Senate candidate Kevin Nicholson Tuesday brushed off reports he was paid by the Democratic Party for campaign work as late as 2002, despite previously claiming he was “absolutely sure” he was not a Dem after speaking at the party’s 2000 national convention.

Federal Election Commission filings show the GOP U.S. Senate candidate was paid a total of $7,315 in 2002 by the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party for administrative and voter drive work.

Nicholson questioned the significance of him being paid by the party in 2002 given previous reporting showing he was a registered Democrat in 2004. Records show he registered as a Dem when he moved to North Carolina in 2005.

“Whatever campaign work I did in 2002 predates 2004, so why we’re even talking about this I don’t know,” Nicholson told reporters after a WisPolitics.com luncheon at the Madison Club. “I wasn’t happy with the Democratic Party. I didn’t think they had common sense, but I wasn’t ready to give up on a label at that point in my life. But I got there in a relatively short amount of time.”

We’re talking about it, Mr. Nicholson, because you were not just a Democrat… you were an activist, paid Democrat functionary… until you weren’t. But there isn’t any evidence of you putting that much effort into being a Republican… ever. And now you want my vote to be elected to one of the highest political offices in the state.

It’s an issue for me.

No thanks.

Businessman and former Marine Kevin Nicholson announced today he will run for the U.S. Senate, the first Republican candidate to officially launch a bid to challenge Dem Tammy Baldwin.

A three-minute announcement video Nicholson released this morning called him a “conservative warrior with the guts to fight Washington” and a conservative outsider. It highlighted his combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the Bronze Star he was awarded.

Nicholson also acknowledged in the video he was once a Democrat, which has become a point of contention in the possible GOP primary. But he said since those “younger days,” he’s had three kids, fought in two wars and been in businesses around the world.

[…]

Nicholson has faced questions over his political past, including including serving as national president of the College Democrats and his 2008 vote in the Dem presidential primary while stationed in North Carolina.

I understand that people’s political philosophies evolve as they mature, but I’m not ready to put him in the U.S. Senate as his first foray into conservative politics.