House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., endorsed state Sen. Leah Vukmir for the GOP nomination to take on Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., in November.
Ryan, the outgoing speaker, endorsed her over Kevin Nicholson, the other top contender for the nomination, a month and a half from the primary contest on Aug. 14. The announcement came in a joint op-ed with longtime Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., who also endorsed Vukmir Monday.
“I’m proud to endorse Leah Vukmir for the United States Senate,” Ryan said. “She is a longtime friend, a conservative ally, and the right person to take on Tammy Baldwin this fall. Leah has proven that sheâs committed to expanding opportunity and challenging the status quo, and our state deserves that kind of leadership in the Senate.
“She will be a great partner to Ron Johnson and will fight tirelessly to make Washington work more like Wisconsin,” Ryan added.
The announcement is the latest effort by Vukmir to coalesce Wisconsin Republicans around her bid, having also won the Wisconsin GOP’s endorsement in early May.
Despite the endorsements, Vukmir is polling lower than Nicholson, a retired Marine and political outsider. According to a Marquette poll released last week, Nicholson leads with 37 percent support to Vukmir’s 32 percent.
Both GOP candidates also trail Baldwin just over four months until the November election. The incumbent Democrat leads Vukmir by 9 points (49-40 percent) and Nicholson by 11 points (50-39 percent).
