Former U.S. Senate candidate Leah Vukmir joins tax group to advocate for policy changes

MADISON — Former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Leah Vukmir is joining the National Taxpayers Union to travel the country advocating for changes in tax policy.

The conservative group announced Vukmir's hiring as its vice president of state affairs Wednesday.

Vukmir is from Brookfield and was a member of the Wisconsin Legislature from 2002 through 2018. She ran for U.S. Senate last year and lost to Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

National Taxpayers Union president Pete Sepp says they expect Vukmir will increase the group's influence in statehouses across the country advocating for "pro-taxpayer policy."

Before running for the state Legislature, Vukmir was a parent activist who lobbied the Legislature for education reform. While a state lawmaker, she served as a leader in the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council.