WI-Sen: Vukmir receives some heavy-hitting endorsements

Following her endorsement from the Wisconsin Republican Party last month, U.S. Senate candidate Leah Vukmir (R-Wis.) has received a nod from some big GOP names.

Vukmir is facing Kevin Nicholson in the party's primary race on Aug. 14, and whoever wins will take on sitting Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) in November.

Who are they?

House Speaker Paul Ryan teamed up with the senior member of Wisconsin's Congressional delegation, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, in endorsing Vukmir on Monday.

In an joint op-ed entitled "We Choose Leah" published on the site RightWisconsin, Ryan and Sensenbrenner said that "Leah is a longtime friend of ours and she has been a conservative partner among grass-roots Republicans for years.

"She has proven that in the face of opposition, she will never waver and will work relentlessly for the causes she believes in."

The two conservative congressmen said that Vukmir "is the best candidate" to compete against Baldwin in the general election this fall.

Anything else?

Republican Party spokesman Alec Zimmerman said, "Leah Vukmir won the party's endorsement by earning the support of thousands of grass-roots conservative activists from across the state who support her record as a proven conservative and her message of bringing the Wisconsin Way to Washington."

While Vukmir is enjoying the endorsements of her party and high-profile Republicans, she isn't guaranteed a win in either of her upcoming races. A poll released by Marquette University Law School last week showed her primary opponent, Nicholson, leading Vukmir 37 percent to 32 percent.

That same poll showed the incumbent Baldwin beating Vukmir by 9 points, and Nicholson by 11.

Wisconsin Democrats are trying to use Ryan's endorsement of Vukmir against her, with party spokesman Brad Bainum saying that Speaker Ryan "embodies the worst of Washington's corporate special interest corruption, so it's no surprise that he wants Leah Vukmir elected to the U.S. Senate."