Nicholson drops out of GOP governor’s race

On Tuesday, Republican candidate Kevin Nicholson announced he is dropping out of the primary race for governor.

Nicholson, a Marine Corps veteran and self-described “political outsider,” was the choice of 10% of Republican voters polled by the Marquette University Law School Poll last month, compared with 27% for construction company executive Tim Michels and 26% for former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch. 

Nicholson released a statement saying that when he entered the race he “knew it would be an uphill battle.”

“I am not part of the insider political class and am a threat to all they hold dear,” Nicholson said.

“Over the past week I have assessed the state of the primary race and it has become clear to me and my team the only path forward for our campaign is attacking the other candidates in the race on the airwaves and running a very negative campaign,” Nicholson said in his statement. “While our team has the capability to do that, that is not something I want to do — nor do I believe it would be good for the party to do so. This election is too important for our state and our movement.” 

Nicholson added that he would not endorse any of the other candidates before the primary. 

Both the Republican and Democratic primaries will be held Aug. 9.