Sen. Leah Vukmir tweets Sen. Tammy Baldwin is "Team Terrorists"
The November election is months away, but if you've been paying attention, campaign season and political attacks have already begun.
One tweet from a U.S. Senate Candidate is getting reaction online.
If the primaries are still months away, why are we seeing these ads now? At least on the Republican side, the campaign is already hot because the Republican Party of Wisconsin will decide whom to endorse this weekend.
State Senator Leah Vukmir sent out a tweet Wednesday labeling U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin "Team Terrorists" along with 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
Senator Baldwin would rather give the man behind the 9/11 attacks and other terrorists hugs and safe spaces than take adequate action to protect America and confirm Gina Haspel quickly. Unacceptable. #wisen https://t.co/njYuI94GHA pic.twitter.com/sCTCDpIvZs
— Leah Vukmir (@LeahVukmir) May 9, 2018
"I'm guessing most people had the reaction, 'This is pretty brutal.' This is the sort of rhetoric that's near or maybe over the top, and I suppose this sort of indicates what Wisconsin politics are like these days. We're long gone from the days of Wisconsin nice," said Mordecai Lee, with UWM Political Science.
Lee says these are the types of political attacks people will be seeing for months.
"Things have really changed and right now what I think we're seeing is it's a battle to win not the general election in November, but to win the August primary, and before the August primary, the upcoming Republican Party convention."
CBS 58 didn't hear back from Senator Vukmir directly, but her campaign website says she's calling out Baldwin because the U.S. senator has kept quiet on whether she will endorse President Trump's pick for CIA director, Gina Haspel.
"It's speaking to red-hot conservatives and who can out-conservative the other. I think the logic of what State Senator Vukmir did is she's taking one step beyond to show how tough she is and how she can appeal to Republican base," said Lee.
Earlier this week, Vukmir's Republican opponent made headlines over comments he made about veterans.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin responded to the tweet on Senator Baldwin's behalf saying, "This is nonsense. This is what people hate about politics."
Lee says in the Trump era, what once may have crossed the line could now be a regular part of the campaign season.
"It's all been wiped away by President Trump. For good or for ill, that's up to the voters to decide. President Trump has shown us you can say things that are over the top, you can even say things that may be factually correct but there's no consequence for it," said Lee. "The only thing that matters is winning. That's why we're seeing a sort of Trumpian element of Wisconsin politics playing out in just last 24 hours."
Baldwin's office did confirm Gina Haspel canceled a meeting with the senator, and they are working to reschedule it.