Group backing Leah Vukmir launches negative TV ad against Kevin Nicholson in Wisconsin Senate race

Kevin Nicholson's political past just popped up in a negative television ad launched Tuesday by a group supporting his Republican Party rival, Leah Vukmir.

The 30-second TV spot from Wisconsin Next PAC focuses on Nicholson's past support for abortion rights while he was president of the College Democrats of America. It came out as the Nicholson campaign announced it raised more than $1 million in the past three months.

The pro-Vukmir group has received funding from Beloit billionaire Diane Hendricks and others.

The GOP primary so far has been dominated by third-party groups that have spent millions of dollars for and against both candidates.

The ad features a clip of Nicholson speaking at the 2000 Democratic National Convention in which he said: "We care about a woman's right to choose," as well as his declaration that "The Democratic Party shares our values."

"President Trump needs an ally he can trust in the U.S. Senate. That's not Kevin Nicholson," a narrator says in the ad.

The ad will air in the Milwaukee and Green Bay markets with a buy approaching a half-million dollars.

Nicholson campaign spokeswoman Ronica Cleary said: “As she’s done this whole primary, rather than focus on defeating Tammy Baldwin, Leah Vukmir has decided to go negative on a decorated Marine. The real choice in this primary is between insider Leah Vukmir whose claim to fame is 'I vote yes when I’m told’ or a conservative political outsider, businessman and Marine in Kevin Nicholson.

"Kevin’s going to help drain the swamp in Washington, and he’s going to stand up to leaders in both parties when they get it wrong. Leah won’t — she’ll do what they say when they say it. That’s the difference.”

The Vukmir campaign said it can't control ads run by outside groups.

"That said, if Nicholson or any of his team actually spent time in Wisconsin, they'd know that Leah taking orders is downright laughable," said Vukmir campaign manager Jess Ward.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said Vukmir, a state senator from Brookfield, is always "willing to stand up to leadership and say, 'I'm not voting for that.' If you know Leah and you know her personality, that is not a surprise. She has always been very independent."

Fitzgerald, who supports Vukmir in the race, expressed concern about Republican chances in the fall if Nicholson is on the ballot against Baldwin. He said he worries a small percentage of Republicans might skip voting in the race.

"There's going to be a group that will never get over the fact that Kevin Nicholson was a Democrat," he said.

Fitzgerald also raised questions about what he called the "Kevin Nicholson direct mail barrage" being paid for by third-party groups.

"It's unbelievable and it's relentless and it's just hard to believe that because this isn't being paid for by Kevin Nicholson that there isn't some other type of agenda floating around there," he said.

Expect more volleys in the coming days. A super PAC aligned with the national Club for Growth, which supports Nicholson, has booked TV ad time beginning Wednesday in Green Bay.

Democrats were delighted by the fireworks.

"With Leah Vukmir and Kevin Nicholson each bought-and-paid-for by corporate special interest mega-donors who are trying to buy themselves a Senate seat, nasty TV attack ads were a foregone conclusion," said Brad Bainum, a state Democratic Party spokesman. "Wisconsin Republicans are guaranteed to have a tough time consolidating around their eventual nominee, who will be bruised, out-of-money and fully dependent on deep-pocketed outside special interests to buy them the general election."

Also Tuesday, Nicholson's campaign announced it raised a little more than $1 million in the second quarter of the year. The campaign did not announce how much cash on hand it had at the end of the quarter.

Vukmir and Nicholson will meet in an Aug. 14 primary.