GOP U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany says he’ll make a formal decision whether to run for U.S. Senate in July or August.

So far, no Republicans have officially said they will run against incumbent U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, though businessmen Eric Hovde and Scott Mayer and former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke are weighing bids.

U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Allouez, who faced pressure from national Republicans to run, decided against challenging Baldwin.

Tiffany, R-Minocqua, appeared at a press conference in Madison to push for reliable, affordable energy in the state, saying the country’s electrical grid is at risk. He cited a Senate hearing during which Federal Energy Regulatory Commission member Mark Christie warned the transition to clean energy could lead to power outages.

Also during the press conference, Rep. Patrick Snyder said nuclear energy should be seriously considered as an energy source.

“I think people have notions of Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and put nuclear energy at an automatic ‘no,'” the Schofield Republican said. “But if we want to meet some of the goals about zero carbon in the future and security of our electric power grid, then nuclear energy has to be on the table.”

Tiffany echoed Snyder’s comments.

“If you believe in a carbon-free future, that’s one of your goals, if you think that’s very important, there’s one answer at this point — and that is nuclear,” Tiffany said.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email