By Ken Krall – WXPR.org

One of two Republicans vying for a chance to take on incumbent U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin in November stopped in Rhinelander Wednesday.

Leah Vukmir is a state Senator representing part of Milwaukee and Waukesha counties. Vukmir is running against Republican political newcomer Kevin Nicholson for the Republican nomination.

Vukmir emphasized her conservative credentials when asked how she is different than Nicholson.

“I think it’s pretty clear that I’m the proven consistent conservative who hasn’t just talked about being a conservative, I can actually show you by my actions,” Vukmir said. “We have an opportunity to take what I call our Wisconsin way of getting things done and turning our state around and taking it to Washington where as I’ve traveled the state people have told me we certainly could use some reinforcements in the U.S. Senate. People who will have an “R” next to their name and know what the “R” stands for.”

Nicholson also labels himself as a conservative and a political outsider. Vukmir has been in the Wisconsin legislature since 2002, first in the Assembly then in the state Senate in 2011. Vukmir was a registered nurse for many years and was critical of incumbent Democrat Tammy Baldwin’s handling of the opioid crisis at Tomah. She also supports President Trump’s policies.

“I want to see President Trump succeed, and he is succeeding,” Vukmir said. “I don’t want to find ways to bring him down. When he succeeds, America succeeds.”

A large amount of outside money has come to Wisconsin media supporting Nicholson’s candidacy.