Wisconsin GOP Senate contender Kevin Nicholson wins endorsement from super PAC tied to Steve Bannon

The Steve Bannon primary in Wisconsin is over and Kevin Nicholson has won.

But whether Bannon's backing of Nicholson sways Republicans in Wisconsin over the next year is uncertain as the party braces for what could be a bitter and expensive Senate primary battle.

Like a bolt out of the blue, a pro-Donald Trump super PAC with ties to the ex-White House chief strategist threw its endorsement Monday to Nicholson in Wisconsin's 2018 race for U.S. Senate.

The move by Great America PAC was first reported by McClatchy and came just weeks after Nicholson met with Bannon and others in Washington, D.C.

Nicholson, a businessman from Delafield, and state Sen. Leah Vukmir of Brookfield are the only announced candidates running for the GOP nomination. The winner of next year's primary will take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

"Americans are tired of the inaction from the Washington swamp and demand Senate Republicans get off their backsides and pass President Trump’s America First agenda,” said Ed Rollins, Great America PAC’s chief strategist.

On Tuesday, Nicholson tweeted: "Humbled by this huge endorsement."

But the endorsement of Great America PAC doesn't come without risks for Nicholson.

The treasurer of the organization is Dan Backer, who was campaign treasurer for Paul Nehlen's unsuccessful bid to oust current House Speaker Paul Ryan of Janesville in a 2016 GOP primary. Backer has a history of targeting "establishing Republicans," but in Wisconsin, the GOP establishment remains popular with the base.

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The move by the super PAC didn't meet with much acclaim on conservative talk radio, a powerful influence in the Milwaukee area.

Jeff Wagner of WTMJ radio told his listeners: "If Kevin Nicholson thinks that in Wisconsin the Steve Bannon endorsement is going to be what puts him over the top, I think that he is going to be sadly, sadly mistaken."

According to those close to Bannon, the Breitbart News executive chairman met with both Nicholson and Vukmir.

Nicholson, they told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, had an impressive personal story to tell and a grasp of conservative issues. A one-time president of the College Democrats of America and a U.S. Marine veteran, Nicholson served overseas tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Far from being a weakness, Nicholson's metamorphosis from Democrat to Republican was seen to be a strength by Bannon and others.

They also said Nicholson made it clear he would oppose Mitch McConnell as Senate majority leader.

"Kevin supports term limits for himself and the full Senate, including leadership," Michael Antonopoulos, a spokesman for Nicholson, told McClatchy. "The conservative grass roots — and Americans across the board — strongly believe that career politicians aren't getting the job done and that we need new leaders and fresh ideas in Washington. Kevin could not agree more."

One source said that for Vukmir to be a favorable candidate in the eyes of Bannon and Breitbart, she would have needed to rescind support for Ryan and McConnell. That was a nonstarter, since Vukmir and Ryan are allies.

Vukmir told the Associated Press that whether she supports McConnell never came up at her meeting with Bannon.

Since leaving the White House in August, Bannon has declared "a season of war" against the GOP establishment that he has blamed for failing to follow through on the Trump agenda.

Bannon has been withering in his criticism of McConnell.

Bannon's first big win came in Alabama, where he campaigned on behalf of insurgent conservative Roy Moore, who wrested the GOP nomination from U.S. Sen. Luther Strange, who was endorsed by Trump.

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin noted that Richard Uihlein, an Illinois billionaire who co-founded Pleasant Prairie-based Uline Corp., made a donation last year to Great America PAC.

In this cycle, Uihlein has given $3.5 million to Solutions for Wisconsin, another super PAC that has endorsed Nicholson.

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"Unfortunately for Nicholson, out-of-state super PACs and Illinois CEOs don't get to vote in next year's GOP primary," said Brad Bainum, a Democratic spokesman.