FreedomWorks backs Marine veteran in Wisconsin GOP Senate primary

FreedomWorks for America is throwing its support behind Marine veteran and businessman Kevin Nicholson as he seeks the GOP nomination to take on Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.).
Nicholson is running in a contested GOP primary that also includes state Sen. Leah Vukmir. The field could still grow as other Republicans consider jumping in.
Baldwin is one of 10 Democratic senators up for reelection in 2018 in a state that President Trump carried last November.
The conservative group took aim at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in its endorsement, saying Nicholson might oppose keeping him as leader.
In a letter last week, FreedomWorks President Adam Brandon was one of five prominent conservative leaders to call on McConnell and his leadership team to resign.
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“In 2017, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has repeatedly embraced liberal ‘Republicans’ we can’t count on like Susan Collins,” Brandon said in a statement. “With only 52 Republican senators, including several fake conservatives, we urgently need to increase the number of senators who keep their word. Kevin has indicated that he would oppose Mitch McConnell’s failed leadership.”
“Replacing Democrats like Tammy Baldwin with conservative fighters like Kevin is essential to growing our economy, increasing the affordability of health care, and checking our federal government’s overspending,” he added.
Nicholson’s campaign confirmed that the Wisconsin Republican doesn’t support McConnell’s leadership position.
“Kevin has made it clear he’s prepared to support new leadership because of the Senate’s failure to pass a conservative agenda,” Nicholson’s spokesman Michael Antonopolous told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Nicholson continues to pick up endorsements from those bucking the GOP establishment, including from Great America Alliance, a pro-Trump super PAC with ties to former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon.
This story was updated at 3:48 p.m.
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