Tom Nelson, Outagamie County Executive.
Wisconsin is still more than a week out from the presidential election, but candidates are already starting to line up for the next statewide contest two years from now.Â
Outagamie County executive and Democrat Thomas Nelson on Tuesday filed his statement of candidacy for U.S. Senate in 2022, the seat currently held by Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, signaling his interest in a bid for the office.Â
Nelson led an unsuccessful bid for Congress in 2016, when he lost to Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher in the state's 8th Congressional District, a seat Gallagher continues to represent. Â
Johnson, who took on the role of unofficial leader of Wisconsin's Republican Party, hasn't yet decided whether he'll run again for Senate in 2022, run for governor, or get out of politics completely.Â
If he ran for governor, he would likely face former Republican Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, who is rumored to be vying for the job.Â
Besides serving as Outagamie County executive, Nelson has also served in state government as an assemblyman from 2005 to 2010, where he eventually served as majority leader. Nelson left the Assembly in 2011 when he was elected Outagamie County executive.Â
Nelson was the Democratic Party's nominee for lieutenant governor in 2010, but lost to Kleefisch and former Republican Gov. Scott Walker.Â
When reached for comment, Nelson via text message said he has nothing to announce at this time.Â
Riley Vetterkind | Wisconsin State Journal
Capitol reporter
Riley Vetterkind covers politics and state government for the Wisconsin State Journal. He can be reached at (608) 252-6135 or rvetterkind@madison.com.
