The race to unseat Democrat Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin is heating up, and outsider Kevin Nicholson appears to be pulling ahead in the GOP primary.
Nicholson’s campaign recently announced their third quarter fundraising numbers, raising more than $400,000.
In addition, Nicholson’s campaign says that they received 1,850 donations from July to September, more than 1,500 of them being for $100 or less, and only one donation coming from a political action committee.
“When I served in the United States Marine Corps, it was an honor and a privilege to serve alongside Marines from all walks of life, from all over our nation,” Nicholson said in a statement. “Today, it is an honor and a privilege to have people from all walks of life, from all over Wisconsin and our nation, who are willing to support our campaign as we work to take back Washington from career politicians.”
His primary opponent, state Senator Leah Vukmir, raised $250,000 in the same quarter. While the the incumbent Democrat, Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin has raised $2.4 million.
Nicholson has seen a slew of conservative groups, donors, and high-profile people endorse him since he first jumped into the race.
Nicholson was first endorsed by the Club for Growth, a conservative advocacy group, and former UN Ambassador John Bolton during George W. Bush’s administration.
More recently, Nicholson scored the support of Steve Bannon, President Trump’s former chief strategist, a distinction that is sure to help him stand out in a primary that could grow more crowded.
Bannon-backed candidates have already seen success in GOP primaries. Roy Moore, a former state Supreme Court judge, defeated incumbent Senator Luther Strange in a runoff election in order to permanently fill the seat vacated by now-Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Strange was appointed to the seat once Sessions was confirmed by the Senate, but lost the special election primary to Moore despite having the backing of the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his allies.
The GOP primary in Wisconsin is still a year away, but momentum does seem to be building early for Nicholson.
The winner of the primary will earn the right to take on incumbent Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin.
