MADISON – A new Politico Magazine profile is helping Wisconsinites find out who Kevin Nicholson really is — a political opportunist who can’t be trusted.
In the article, interviews with people who have known Kevin Nicholson for years confirm that he is running for himself, not Wisconsin:
Nicholson’s Friends And Foes Testified To His “Deep-Seated Political Aspirations.” “After conversations with more than two dozen people who know Nicholson, I’ve concluded that there’s something to both of these narratives. Friend and foe alike testify in detail to his methodical preparation and deep-seated political aspirations, leaving no illusion that he finds himself running for federal office by happenstance.” [Politico, 9/22/17]

People Said That Nicholson “Decided The Clearest Path To Public Office As A Straight, White Man In Wisconsin Would Be As A Republican.” “The generous view holds, more or less, that Nicholson quit politics because he felt abandoned by the Democratic Party, discovered his inner conservatism and re-emerged serendipitously back home just as Wisconsin’s GOP bench was growing a bit stale. The cynical view is essentially that Nicholson has wanted to be president since he was a teenager and has few core convictions; that he saw the demographic winds shift during his time in D.C. and decided the clearest path to public office as a straight, white man in Wisconsin would be as a Republican.” [Politico, 9/22/17]

Nicholson’s High School Teacher When Told He’s Running For U.S. Senate As A Republican: “You’re shitting me.” “When I talked with two of the Social Studies department’s longest-tenured teachers—Ernie Millard and Steve O’Brien, both of whom taught when Nicholson was there—neither could muster a memory. Only after I showed Millard his photo did he remember coaching Nicholson on the freshman wrestling team. When I told them he’s running for U.S. Senate, O’Brien leaned forward. “You’re shitting me.”” [Politico, 9/22/17]

Nicholson’s College Democrats Vice President Said Nicholson Isn’t Running for the “Right Reasons” “I did not like Kevin, and he would be the first person to tell you that,” says Alexandra Acker-Lyons, who was Nicholson’s vice president and is today a Democratic consultant. “Kevin is that guy—D.C. is crawling with them, summer interns and Hill staffers—who you know wants to run for office, and you know isn’t doing it for the right reasons.” [Politico, 9/22/17]

Nicholson’s College Roommate And “Political Disciple” Said Nicholson Was “Verbally and Emotionally Abusive” In College. “Tillotson says he became Nicholson’s friend and political disciple. ‘There were so many people who saw great things in him,’ Tillotson tells me. The two rented an apartment together near campus, but soon had a falling out. Tillotson packed his bags. They never reconciled, and Tillotson—who today leads a teachers union and makes no bones about being a partisan—is now Nicholson’s fiercest critic, bombarding Wisconsin reporters with tales of the Senate hopeful’s zealous pursuit of the Oval Office. Among many other accusations, Tillotson says Nicholson was verbally and emotionally abusive toward people during college.” [Politico, 9/22/17]

And from previous news stories:
Former Nicholson Colleague: “I Really Just Think He’s An Opportunist.” “Alexandra Acker-Lyons, a self-proclaimed Baldwin supporter, says she wants Wisconsin Republicans to know the Kevin Nicholson she knew. She said, ‘I really just think he’s an opportunist.’ Acker-Lyons worked with Nicholson while he was the National President of the College Democrats of America. Acker-Lyons said, ‘When I heard he was running for Senate and running as a Republican, I was just frankly floored.”’ [CBS 58, 4/7/17]
Nicholson “Is Everything That Is Wrong With Politics- Self Serving, Pugnacious, & Narcissistic.” “Now, one of Nicholson’s former college roommates at the University of Minnesota has begun attacking him on social media. ‘I was @KevinMNicholson roommate in college,’ wrote Adam Tillotson. ‘He is everything that is wrong with politics – self serving, pugnacious, & narcissistic #fraud’” [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 7/11/17]
Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Martha Laning remarked, “Kevin Nicholson embodies what is wrong with politics. Those that know him believe that he’s running for office for the wrong reasons. Nicholson’s goal isn’t to help the people of Wisconsin — he is in this to help himself.”
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