Wisconsin Senate hopeful Mark Neumann earned the endorsement of Tea Party Express on Friday in his bid for the Republican nomination.
Neumann is currently locked in a tight primary with former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, businessman Eric Hovde, and state Sen. Jeff Fitzgerald.
“The Tea Party is united behind Mark Neumann because he is the proven conservative in the race,” said Tea Party Express Chairman Amy Kremer in a statement. “Mark earned the support of the Tea Party Express, and Tea Party members from every corner of Wisconsin, because he is the only one with a plan that cuts spending, balances the budget and repeals ObamaCare. He understands that we must get back to Constitutional principles in Washington. And, he is the one we can trust to stand up to Barack Obama.”
The endorsement is a boon for Neumann who, in the wake of Ted Cruz’s primary victory in Texas, has been trying to paint himself as a Cruz-like figure in the Wisconsin race. Neumann has a number of the same endorsements as Cruz, including Club for Growth, Sens. Jim DeMint, Rand Paul, and Mike Lee, and now, Tea Party Express. In the aftermath of Cruz’s win, Neumann’s campaign told The Daily Caller that they had seen an uptick in fundraising.
“I am honored to have the support of the Tea Party Express,” Neumann said in a statement. “They represent the values that our Founding Fathers built our great nation on and that folks here in Wisconsin hold dear. Their endorsement is more evidence to the people of Wisconsin that I am the proven conservative that they can trust to stand up to Barack Obama and the liberals in Washington.”
The latest poll in the Wisconsin race, conducted by Public Policy Polling, showed Neumann tied for second place with Thompson at 25 percent each, while Hovde held a narrow lead at 28 percent. Fitzgerald was in a distant fourth.
The primary is set for August 14.