The hotly contested U.S. Senate race in Wisconsin pits two-term Democratic incumbent Tammy Baldwin against Republican Eric Hovde, a millionaire businessman backed by former President Donald Trump who has invested millions of his own money in the race .
Although Baldwin’s voting record is liberal, she emphasized bipartisanship throughout the campaign. Baldwin became the first statewide Democratic candidate to gain the support of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau, the state’s largest agricultural organization, in more than 20 years.
His first television ad said his Buy American bill had been signed into law by Trump. In July, she touted the Senate committee’s approval of a bill she co-wrote with Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, that aims to ensure that taxpayer-funded inventions are made in the United States.
Hovde attempted to portray Baldwin as an out-of-touch liberal career politician who hasn’t done enough to fight inflation, illegal immigration and crime.
About 4 in 10 Wisconsin voters said the economy and jobs are the top issue facing the country, according to AP VoteCast, a broad survey of more than 110,000 voters nationwide, including more of 3,400 Wisconsin voters. About two in ten Wisconsin voters said immigration was the most pressing issue, and more than one in ten cited abortion.
Nearly half of voters said they had a very or somewhat favorable opinion of Baldwin. A similar proportion say they have a very or somewhat favorable opinion of Hovde. About 4 in 10 Wisconsin voters said party control was the most important factor in their vote.
Hovde’s wealth, primarily his management of Utah-based Sunwest Bank and his ownership of a $7 million estate in Laguna Beach, Calif., has been a key line of attack by Baldwin, who attempted to present him as an outsider who does not represent Wisconsin. values.
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Baldwin also attacked Hovde for his opposition to abortion rights.
Hovde said he supports the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022, but said he would not vote for a federal law banning abortion, leaving it up to states to decide. This is a change in position from his last run for Senate in 2012, when he was “totally opposed” to abortion.
Baldwin’s television commercials addressed a consistent theme of Hovde insulting farmers, older residents, parents and others. Hovde, who was born in Madison and owns a home there, accused Baldwin of misrepresenting his comments, lying about his record and misleading voters.
Baldwin won his first Senate race in 2012, against popular former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson, by nearly 6 percentage points. Hovde lost to Thompson in that year’s primary.
Hovde attacked Baldwin for having been elected since 1987, including the last 12 years in the Senate and 14 in the House before that.
Associated Press writer Cora Lewis contributed to this report.
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