Former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus is endorsing state Sen. Leah Vukmir in the tough Wisconsin GOP Senate primary.
The backing from the former Republican National Committee chairman and one of the most noteworthy Republicans in Wisconsin is a big get for Vukmir, who is locked in an increasingly-harsh primary against Kevin Nicholson, a Marine corps veteran who is new to Republican politics.
Speaking on 1130 WISN radio in Wisconsin, Priebus, a former Wisconsin GOP chairman, lauded Vukmir as “constantly pushing a conservative agenda” and said she would match up well against Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
“She was there every step of the way building what we built in Wisconsin,” Priebus said.
“She deserves credit but she’s highly qualified and without question the best choice for U.S. Senate.
In the one hand, this helps solidify the campaign as a battle of the “outsider” (Nicholson) versus the “establishment” (Vukmir). But Priebus is also a legendary fundraiser and his nod should help Vukmir raise funds.
Priebus also asked “Where was Kevin?” a few times. He did that so no one could miss the point that Kevin–who is a Marine, you might know–was not present, nor working, for a number of (R) efforts in the last several years.
Nicholson did spread some money around the right side of Wisconsin the last few years, but otherwise was MIA.