WASHINGTON — The clock is ticking for candidates to make their case to voters in Wisconsin. Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin appears to have made hers for at least one big-name organization, earning the endorsement of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau.
“She'll prioritize Wisconsin agriculture,” said Tyler Wenzlaff, the director of national affairs for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau.
Wenzlaff said the organization’s priorities for the next Congress are to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list, increase funding for dairy businesses and ensure that non-dairy products can’t use the name “milk,” legislation that Baldwin’s already introduced.
“Senator Baldwin has been a champion for all of these priorities,” Wenzlaff said. “We believe that she'll take the mantle up and really try to drive these forward in the new Senate, whatever side takes control.”
Baldwin, who is earning this endorsement for the first time, is the only Democrat of the six lawmakers endorsed. Wenzlaff said the list is Republican-heavy because of the makeup of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation, and these are the lawmakers who represent rural areas and focus on rural issues.
Baldwin faces opposition from Republican businessman Eric Hovde. In a statement to Spectrum News after the Wisconsin Farm Bureau endorsed Baldwin, a spokesperson for Hovde said she has failed farmers by “sparking record-high inflation” and they’ll hold her accountable in November.
“I don't think [not getting the Farm Bureau’s endorsement is] a blow to his campaign, for the same reasons that I'm not sure the size of the impact this will have for Senator Baldwin,” said Kathleen Dolan, a distinguished professor of political science at UW-Milwaukee. “But again, I do think that it gives us a sense into the fact that even the Farm Bureau isn't sure, or isn't convinced, that Mr. Hovde would, as a senator, place agriculture as a focus.”
Political analysts say there isn’t a lot of evidence that endorsements matter broadly. And historically, Baldwin has done well in rural areas and with Trump voters. But this year, she’s on the same ballot as Trump for the first time and faces an opponent who’s aligned himself with the former President.
“It's also possible that it becomes an important endorsement for her because Mr. Hovde is, in many ways, kind of an unknown quantity to most people in the state,” Dolan said. “And if you watch his ads, he doesn't focus on agricultural issues, on farming issues, on economic issues with any real specificity. So, voters could rightly ask, ‘If he wins this, will he replace all of the efforts that Senator Baldwin makes for agriculture? Is that going to be a focus for him?’ And since he really doesn't speak about it very much, he's not offering voters a sense of whether he would.”
Wenzlaff said the two Democrats representing Wisconsin in the House, Gwen Moore of Milwaukee and Mark Pocan of Madison, did not get the Farm Bureau’s endorsement because they focus more on urban issues.