The Democrat Tammy Baldwin has won Wisconsin’s Senate race, earning a third term and concluding a race against the Republican banker and real estate mogul Eric Hovde that at times turned bitter and personal.
Baldwin’s victory comes after a race that turned increasingly acrimonious as it wore on, with Hovde and his Republican allies elevating anti-LGBTQ+ messaging in the final weeks of the campaign.
Multiple ads by the Senate Leadership Fund, a Super Pac focused on electing Republicans to the US Senate, sought to connect Baldwin – who was the first out gay member of the US Senate – to LGBTQ+ causes. One of the ads falsely claimed that Baldwin directed taxpayer funds to a trans health clinic; another suggested, misleadingly, that Baldwin had vowed to support “sex change surgeries for minors”.
Hovde himself echoed those claims on conservative talkshows in the weeks leading up to the election.
On The Sean Hannity Show, Hovde denounced Baldwin’s support for the the Equality Act, a bill that would expand civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ people. Hovde referred to trans women as “men” and claimed he would “protect our traditional families”.
Democrats and LGBTQ+ rights organizations pointed also to ads aired by the Hovde campaign that focused on Baldwin’s girlfriend – a financial adviser – as dog-whistles intended to remind conservative voters of Baldwin’s sexuality. One such ad, which has been widely aired, suggested Baldwin was “in bed with Wall Street”. The Hovde campaign has maintained that these ads were intended only to highlight a possible conflict of interest.
In a statement Baldwin said: “It is clear that the voters have spoken and our campaign has won. The people of Wisconsin have chosen someone who always puts Wisconsin first, someone who shows up, listens and works with everyone to get the job done.”
During the race, the Baldwin campaign fought relentlessly to cast Hovde as an outsider, pointing to his home and business interests in Orange county, California. Hovde was raised in the Madison area, but has maintained properties outside the state and was even recognized as one of Orange county’s “most influential” by a local publication.
Hovde has rejected that characterization, insisting his experience in business would help him in Washington and accusing Baldwin of falling away from her Wisconsin roots.
In office, Baldwin has backed progressive healthcare legislation as well as populist economic measures, such as a bill that she drafted with the Republican vice-president-elect, JD Vance, to compel products invented in the US to be produced in the US. She has touted both on the campaign trail, highlighting in particular the provision in the Affordable Care Act allowing people under 26 to remain on their parents’ healthcare, which she is credited with writing.
The race was seen as a test, in part, of Baldwin’s support in rural parts of the state, where she has maintained a base of support despite the general rural drift toward Republican candidates.
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