The Latest: Nicholson raises twice as much as Vukmir

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Latest on fundraising by Republican Senate candidates (all times local):

12:15 p.m.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kevin Nicholson raised twice as much as his primary challenger Leah Vukmir in the last three months of 2017.

Nicholson’s campaign spokesman said Monday that the Delafield business consultant will report raising more than $800,000 for the three-month period. That brings his haul since he got into the race to $1.2 million.

Vukmir’s campaign says she raised more than $400,000 in the last quarter. To date she’s raised about $645,000.

A super PAC supporting Vukmir on Monday said it had raised $1 million. Nicholson has been benefiting from PAC support, including one run by former U.S. Ambassador John Bolton that was spending $1 million alone on pro-Nicholson ads this week.

The winner will face Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

___

8:22 a.m.

Wisconsin Republican Senate candidate Leah Vukmir says she raised more than $400,000 in the final three months of 2017.

Vukmir is a state senator from Brookfield facing Delafield business consultant Kevin Nicholson in the GOP primary. Nicholson has not reported any fundraising totals for the final quarter of the year yet.

Vukmir said Monday that she had brought in more than $400,000. That comes after she raised about $242,000 in the first three weeks of her candidacy prior to that.

Both Nicholson and Vukmir are backed by deep-pocketed super PACs that are raising millions on their own to bolster their candidacies.

The winner of the GOP primary will face Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin in November.

Baldwin has not reported her fundraising totals for 2017 yet.