Nicholson, Vukmir clash in debate
GOP candidates go into overtime in arguments over conservative record
WAUKESHA - So much for the final debate bell.
Republican U.S. Senate candidates Leah Vukmir and Kevin Nicholson clashed in what amounted to overtime in their first public debate Thursday night.
After declaring he was “clearly a different kind of candidate,” Nicholson criticized party insiders for a loss by a conservative in the recent state Supreme Court race.
Vukmir was given additional time and said, “It’s clear there’s a difference between the two of us,” adding that Nicholson will have “to prove what his conservative track record is.”
She said the crowd knew more about Nicholson’s track record as a one-time leader of the College Democrats of America than “his track record as a Republican.”
“I think that is the issue,” she added. “Who can you trust to follow through and make sure that the conservative principles that everyone in this room holds near and dear.”
She said it was “a personal affront to hear that party being maligned.”
Nicholson, a retired U.S. Marine, said for his track record, “I would look to the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan if you wanted. That’s where I’d look first. I know that doesn’t mean much to certain politicians. I know that darn well.”
“That’s wrong,” Vukmir said. “I’m going to be blunt,” Nicholson said. “For those who have said that leading Marines in combat in two wars does not qualify as conservative credentials need to look inside them and decide what they think conservative credentials are.”
He said he would “sink or swim” by his track record.
Vukmir said it was “a low blow to say I don’t respect you . ... I respect your service and I’m grateful for your service.”
Vukmir asked Nicholson to apologize.
“If it makes you feel better, I feel respected,” Nicholson said, ending the debate.
Prior to the close, the debate ran along rather sedately for 55 minutes. The event was sponsored by Americans for Prosperity, which is part of the political network associated with industrialists Charles and David Koch.
Nicholson and Vukmir are seeking the state party endorsement at the May 12 Republican Party of Wisconsin convention.
They’ll face each other in an Aug. 14 primary with the winner taking on Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin in the fall.
Vukmir, a state senator from Brookfield, presented herself as a true conservative who stood side-by-side with Gov. Scott Walker during the upheaval over ending collective bargaining for most public-sector workers.
Nicholson, a Delafield businessman, sought to portray himself as an outsider like President Donald Trump.
They agreed on most issues, from opposition to Obamacare, to backing Republican tax cuts to supporting Trump’s move to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.
Democrats were not impressed by the debate.
“Leah Vukmir and Kevin Nicholson’s debate performance tonight only reaffirmed that they’re running to work for corporate special interests like the out-of-state billionaire Koch brothers and that they’ll do whatever it takes to protect Washington corruption,” said Brad Bainum, a Democratic spokesman.