WASHINGTON — Now that the partisan primary is over, the focus in the Wisconsin Senate race can now turn to November. The matchup between Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Republican challenger Eric Hovde is set.
Baldwin is seeking a third term, and the Madison businessman is trying to stop her. Hovde sought the same seat in 2012 and lost in the Republican primary.
Baldwin said her record in Washington is what makes her the best candidate to represent Wisconsin families. One example she uses is securing funding for the state in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which President Joe Biden signed in 2021.
“And delivering $1 billion dollars in federal infrastructure funding to rebuild the Blatnik Bridge, which is a bridge that connects Wisconsin to Minnesota,” she said Tuesday.
Baldwin ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
“I’m honored to receive the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate to continue our fight to lower costs for Wisconsin families, stand up for American jobs and manufacturing, and restore our reproductive freedoms,” Baldwin said in a statement after the polls closed.
Hovde is a real estate developer in Madison and the CEO of Sunwest Bank. He’s running as the political outsider. After voting in the primary on Tuesday, Hovde said he’s focused on several issues.
“People are out there hurting because of the impact of inflation, our open border, the Fentanyl crisis that I’ve been talking about from day one,” he said.
Hovde faced nominal opposition in the GOP primary. Although he won by a large percentage, the other two candidates did get more than 65,000 votes.
“It’s time for change,” Hovde said in a statement after the polls closed. “I will always put the people of Wisconsin first by working tirelessly to lower costs, secure the southern border, and fix our broken healthcare system.”
The most recent Marquette Law School poll, released last week, shows Baldwin leading Hovde among registered voters by seven points.
With a little more than 80 days until the November election, we can expect Baldwin and Hovde to kick their campaigns into high gear.