MADISON — Jeff Fitzgerald may be the “dark horse” candidate in the three-person race for the GOP nominations for Wisconsin’s open U.S. Senate seat, but the Assembly speaker says he can go toe-to-toe with the big dogs in this conservative contest.

And the Horicon Republican tells Wisconsin Reporter his close ties with arch conservative Gov. Scott Walker make him the conservative’s conservative.

His GOP challengers are titans — former Gov. Tommy Thompson and Wisconsin former 1st District U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann, each reported to have more money in their warchests, and each seemingly crowding out the dialogue in the debate over who is the ultimate candidate.

Fitzgerald said being out of the intense spotlight isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“I’m keeping my head down and going up the middle, and it seems to be working for me,” he said.

State Sen. Frank Lasee, R-De Pere, also in the race, is considered by pundits an outside contender.

Neumann has staked his claim on the core conservative vote, in a campaign that has attacked Thompson as a big spender and big government insider.

“Mark’s the proven conservative in this campaign, which is not about a history lesson, it’s about who can balance the budget, repeal Obamacare and create jobs,” said Neumann campaign manager Chip Englander, in a tacit knock to those who laud Thompson’s name recognition as a king conservative during his unprecedented four terms as Wisconsin governor.

Of course,Thompson, who jumped in the race early last month, said he’s the candidate that can help right the nation’s ballooning debt crisis, bolster the economy and strike President Barack Obama’s controversial health-care reform act from existence.

More so, said Thompson spokesman Darrin Schmitz, the former governor who pioneered welfare reform and school vouchers has the power to bring people together.

“Tommy Thompson doesn’t need to tear another Republican down and build himself up,” Schmitz said.

But tearing down has been part and parcel of a Senate race in the national spotlight, viewed as a “top 5” contest nationally in the battle over control of Congress.

Neumann and Thompson have gone after each other relentlessly, Neumann digging at Thompson’s “big government” work in Washington, D.C., as Health and Human Services secretary under President George W. Bush and the former governor’s big state budgets, while the Thompson campaign picks at Neumann’s support of the so-called “Bridge to Nowhere” in Alaska.

Each has drawn a boatload of endorsements from some pretty powerful voices in conservative politics.

Neumann’s backers include tea party stalwarts U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican and his political action committee Senate Conservatives Fund, and the national Club For Growth, a conservative nonprofit.

Thompson’s long list of supporters includes former Republican presidential candidate and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

And Thompson and Neumann have raised a lot of campaign cash.

Neumann this week announced he has raised $820,000 from 7,450 contributors since announcing his candidacy four months ago.

Schmitz wouldn’t release Thompson fundraising figures Thursday, saying the campaign will file soon. He said Thompson has raised more than Neumann.

U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, the Democrat’s sole Senate candidate, raised more than $1.1 million in the past three months of 2011, her campaign announced Thursday. The representative for the 2nd Congressional District has more than $1.8 million in the bank heading into the election year. More than 16,000 individual donors chipped in, according to the campaign.

“This shows our strength, and these resources will be critical in responding to the false, negative right-wing attacks to come our way,” said the campaign on Baldwin’s Facebook page.

The back and forth between Thompson and Neumann doesn’t seem to bother the Baldwin campaign.

“No matter who comes out of the Republican primary, they will represent the radical tea party who are out of favor with Wisconsin voters,” said Baldwin campaign spokesman Phil Walzak. “This is a nasty right-wing food fight.”

But the Republican candidates, all, have plenty of ammunition for Baldwin, who, by some accounts, boasts the most liberal voting record in Congress, which the GOP says won’t sit well with most Wisconsin voters.

So Fitzgerald, in many ways, waits back in the weeds, campaigning on his message and his actions, he said.

The speaker, who shepherded the Walker-led Act 10, the law curbing public employee collective bargaining, said he’ll let his record speak for his conservative credentials.

“I’m the speaker who delivered the largest tort reform in the nation, photo ID, concealed carry and the castle doctrine,” he said, further noting the Republicans’ budget that wiped out a $3.6 billion shortfall.

And while Fitzgerald said he can’t compete with the warchests of Thompson and Neumann, he has an updated resume of conservative accomplishments.

“I’m a fresh face” in the conservative movement, he said. “It seems my message is resonating. (Neumann and Thompson) are desperately trying to tie themselves to Scott Walker, where I’m already joined at the hip.”