APPLETON, Wis. — While the rest of the country is zeroed in on next week’s presidential election, Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson has his sights set on unseating Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin.

Nelson rolled a 90-second social media ad on Monday announcing his bid for US Senate even though the seat doesn’t open until 2022.

“What we've been saying is simply this — and I think that this is a pretty good life lesson — which is, it's never too early to do the right thing,” said Nelson.

After seeing COVID cases spike for weeks in his region of northeast Wisconsin, the nine-year county executive and former state assembly majority leader says he’s throwing his hat in the race in response to what he’s calling inaction to the pandemic by Sen. Johnson.

“We are one of the hottest of the hot spots in the country,” he said. “And he's trying to tell us that the curve is flattening. Just a couple days ago, we had 5,000 cases in the state. And here in Outagamie County, we had nine deaths. [Johnson] is so out of touch on this issue. And this is a life and death issue.”

While Sen. Johnson supported the CARES Act, he was one of eight Republicans to vote against the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in March and says he opposes a statewide mask mandate. He instead thinks people should practice personal responsibility.

"Well, I mean, I think it's ironic for him to say that because he's the one who got to COVID test, went to a fundraiser, put people at risk, and then learn that he tested positive for COVID," said Nelson. "Clearly, that is not personal responsibility."

This is neither Nelson’s first statewide race or nor is it his first race to Washington.

Now-Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Nelson (as his running mate) lost a gubernatorial election to Scott Walker and Rebecca Kleefisch in 2010.

Six years later, he lost his bid for the open 8th congressional district seat to Mike Gallagher.

He believes 2020 will be different for him because of his record as a county executive.

“Voters want someone who can get to work in and get things done,” he said. “And whatever the issue that comes out during this campaign, I will be able to point to a concrete action, a concrete example solution of what I was able to do as a county executive and not just myself as county executive, but how we've worked with a county board.”

Although January 2023 is still a ways away, Nelson says if elected, his first priority would be securing voting rights.

“We need a constitutional amendment that is going to codify very specifically the right to vote and so that we can be done with all this litigation, all this nonsense, that's making it more difficult for people to vote,” he said.