4-27-18 u.s. senate debate

PEWAUKEE, Wis. (AP) — Republican U.S. Senate candidates Leah Vukmir and Kevin Nicholson clashed during closing statements at the end of an otherwise staid first debate Thursday, with former Democrat Nicholson defending his conservative credentials while Vukmir said her record in the Legislature proves she can be trusted.  Both hopefuls went about 10 minutes over time at end of the hour-long debate in a spirited back-and-forth after Vukmir said, “We can’t take chances on the unknown.”  That prompted Nicholson, a former Marine, to respond: “I feel like I might be the unknown in that variable. I am. I’m clearly different, folks. Clearly different kind of candidate. That is what we need. … You all knew this when you voted for Donald Trump.”  While they largely agreed on most of the issues, Nicholson stressed that he would be an outsider who would buck GOP leadership to stand up for his conservative principles. Vukmir, a 15-year veteran of the Legislature and close ally of Gov. Scott Walker, emphasized her record introducing and voting for a bevy of conservative priorities. She said “I’ve seen it, I’ve done it and I’m going to do it in Washington.”  And she pushed back after Nicholson criticized the party establishment and cited the loss earlier this month by the Republican-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court.  “You know what my track record is,” Vukmir said. “We know more about Kevin’s track record as a Democrat than we do about his track record as a Republican. I think that is the issue, who can you trust to follow through.”  Nicholson retorted that his track record was on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.