Oops! Vukmir ad mistakenly cites Walker endorsement
Ad replaced with one reflecting her loyalty
Gov. Scott Walker has vowed to remain neutral in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.
But for a short time Friday it looked as if Walker had endorsed state Sen. Leah Vukmir over Delafield businessman Kevin Nicholson.
It was a mistake.
A digital ad by the Vukmir campaign popped up on Facebook. The ad showed Vukmir and Walker standing together with the taglines: “Scott Walker Stands With Leah. Stand With Him.”
The ad was taken down, Vukmir campaign manager Jess Ward said.
“There was some miscommunication between our campaign and our digital division,” she said.
Later, a new digital ad posted, with the same photo and new taglines: “Leah Stands With Governor Walker. Stand With Her.”
The mishap occurred at a particularly tense time in the race, with Vukmir and Nicholson each trying to gather grassroots support heading into the state Republican convention in May.
Even though the governor is neutral, his wife, Tonette Walker, has endorsed Vukmir and their younger son, Alex, has a job on Vukmir’s campaign.
During a fundraising event Tuesday night, Tonette Walker said that Vukmir is a “wonderful candidate” and she “wanted to see a woman” face Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
But she also indicated the endorsement was intensely personal. Without mentioning Nicholson’s name, she said that Nicholson refused to shake her son’s hand when they were together at an event.
According to a recording of the event, first reported by WITI-TV (Channel 6) and made available to the Journal Sentinel, Tonette Walker said: “I was like, really? I mean, really, seriously? Cuz, to me, I don’t want someone in politics — and someone who’s going to represent me and the state of Wisconsin in politics — if he doesn’t have the common decency to extend his hand.”
Nicholson’s campaign told the TV station that the candidate “is running a respectful primary focused on the issues that matter,” and “knew nothing about the interaction” that was referenced.