Future Stars, as the name indicates, is a section of Conservative Intel designed to spotlight rising stars in the world of politics, policy, and government, giving readers an idea of who to watch out for in the future.
The Democrats’ plans to hold on to their Senate seats may have just gotten a whole lot harder.
Kevin Nicholson recently announced his intentions to challenge incumbent Tammy Baldwin, and Democrats should be worried.
Nicholson is only 39, and yet already has an incredible resume to go along with his qualifications.
Nicholson is a veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan, having been deployed only weeks after his first son was born. He led a Marine unit in Al Anbar, Iraq on over 100 combat missions, and voluntarily took a second deployment in Afghanistan.
It was there that he was awarded the Bronze Star for being “the best Counter-Improvised Explosive Device” team.
He also boasts having an MPA from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, and an MBA from Dartmouth College.
Probably the most important factor, however, is that Nicholson has the campaign cash to make Democrats sweat.
Most outsiders running for office can’t put up a big challenge because they don’t have access to either party’s donor infrastructure. Nicholson, however, is looking good in that department. A super PAC set up to support Nicholson has raised $3.5 million already this year, funded by mega-donor Richard Uihein. Compare that to the almost $3.9 million that Baldwin has on-hand, and Nicholson is already in incredibly good shape.
For her part, Senator Baldwin definitely isn’t on good footing heading into next year’s elections.
Wisconsin has seen a GOP wave wash over the state, with Republicans currently controlling all three branches of government there. It’s also a state that voted for Donald Trump, the first time the state voted for a Republican presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan’s 1984 landslide.
Compounding this, is that only 42% of Wisconsin residents approve of the job Baldwin is doing.
The Democrats obviously know this, and have already started to take shots at Nicholson, highlighting just what a threat they see him as.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee released a press release the same day Nicholson announced titled “What to Know About Kevin Nicholson.” In it, the DSCC basically spends time pointing out how Republicans don’t want a messy primary, as well as trying to use Nicholson’s past as a Democrat against him.
Which is true, by the way. Nicholson was a Democrat for most of his early life, and Democrats didn’t seem to be complaining about him then. So much so that, as president of the College Democrats in 2000, he actually spoke at the party’s national convention that year.
Far from being a negative, though, it highlights the cross-party appeal that Nicholson will undoubtedly have in a state that seems to shift back and forth between being light blue and light red.
If you have any doubts about his conservative credentials, however, don’t. Nicholson says in his own announcement video how, as a Democrat, “I used to do nothing and know everything.”
“Since then, we’ve had three kids,” he continues. “I’ve fought in two wars, and I’ve worked in businesses around the world. After you’ve been hit in the face with that much reality, you cannot help but become a strong conservative.”
Tammy Baldwin is a very vulnerable incumbent, and both Democrats and Republicans know it. Democrats are already pre-emptively attacking Nicholson, knowing that Republicans have been searching for someone with the resume, the cash, and the brand of being a true outsider to give Baldwin a serious challenge.
They may have just found their perfect candidate.
You can watch Kevin Nicholson’s Announcement Video Below:
