in Wisconsin There is a heated battle in the US SenateRepublican Eric Hovde spent much of his closing message attacking the financial career of Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s boyfriend, highlighting their same-sex relationship.
In a series of television ads during the final run of the election, Hovde’s campaign repeatedly referred to Maria Brisbane, referring to Baldwin as his “wife” or “girlfriend”. Baldwin openly calls Brisbane his girlfriend.
one such advertisingA woman from Hovde’s campaign and joint fundraising committee, who identified herself as a Wisconsin resident, criticized Baldwin for being “in bed with Wall Street.”
“While he sleeps in his girlfriend’s million-dollar condo in New York, Wisconsin families face high inflation and handouts for illegal immigrants.”
“Tammy and her boyfriend are living large while Wisconsin families pay the bills,” the woman adds.
Another Hovde campaign ad There is a narrator who talks about Baldwin’s relationship with Brisbane.
“This is Senator Tammy Baldwin,” he says. “This is his wife, Maria Brisbane, a Wall Street executive who made millions by advising on how to make money from the industries Tammy regulated.”
“Tammy doesn’t go home to Wisconsin most weekends. He prefers to be in New York, in Maria’s $7 million house,” adds the insider.
In all, seven of the 34 TV ads Republicans ran over the past month in the Wisconsin race, which will help determine the balance of power in the Senate, referenced Baldwin’s girlfriend, according to tracking firm AdImpact. Those seven ad airings account for more than a quarter of all Republican anti-Baldwin TV ads in the past month.
Baldwin became the first openly gay woman elected to Congress in 1998 and the first openly gay candidate for the United States Senate in 2012. Brisbane is a private wealth advisor to a subsidiary of Morgan Stanley. Baldwin and Brisbane have been dating since 2018.
Baldwin, now running for a third term in the Senate, said the attacks were designed to distract from his record.
“In politics, this sort of thing is usually considered off-limits, isn’t it? “To talk about people’s personal lives, their family members,” Baldwin said during a recent appearance on MSNBC.Andrea Mitchell reports.”
“Erik Hovde is desperately trying to distract us from his real weaknesses and conflicts of interest,” he said.
Multimillionaire businessman and bank owner Hovde also repeated some of the attacks from his ads on the trail.
Theirs discussed last monththe only one of the era, Hovde repeatedly criticized Baldwin’s relationship with Brisbane, saying at one point: “I’m the one against Big Pharma. Investing in Big Pharma, which you control, Wall Street is your partner.”
At another point during the Oct. 18 debate, Baldwin fired back, saying, “Eric Hovde needs to stay out of my personal life — and I think I speak for most Wisconsin women that he should stay out of all of our personal lives.”
“We agree with the 2009 version of Tammy Baldwin, and any effort to distract from the facts of this conflict of interest is treasonous to the United States,” Hovde campaign spokesman Zach Bannon said in response to questions about the strategy to highlight Baldwin’s connections. the people of Wisconsin who deserve transparency.”
Bannon’s statement is recent CNN reports Baldwin said in 2009 that legal domestic partners of gay and lesbian officeholders should face the same annual financial disclosure requirements as heterosexual married couples.
“All members of Congress file annual financial disclosures. Married members are entitled to their spouse’s income, investments, gifts and debts, etc. must provide very important information about Clearly, the public interest would require that these obligations be extended to the partners of gay and lesbian officers,” Baldwin said in a 2009 congressional hearing.
Baldwin and Brisbane are not married and they are not legal domestic partners. In addition, Baldwin does not sit on any committees that regulate Wall Street matters — such as the Senate Banking or Finance committees.
Baldwin campaign officials and LGBTQ rights organizations said Hovden’s attack lines were a spiteful ploy by Republicans.
“You. “Baldwin’s sexuality is not on the ballot, and ads like this highlight his opponent’s hostility toward LGBTQ people,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “You. Baldwin has never hidden who he is from his constituents and has a proven track record of advancing equality and prosperity for everyone in Wisconsin and people across the country.
Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ rights group, added in a statement: “Wisconsinans want a proven leader with a track record of solving problems. This leader is Tammy Baldwin.”
“Eric Hovde has done nothing but sow hate and division, including embarrassing dog whistles and attacks against Senator Baldwin,” Robinson added.
Human Rights Campaign Baldwin confirmed in the race. GLAAD didn’t make an official endorsement, but it did published voter resource guides to emphasize that each one candidate’s record on LGBTQ issues.
“Eric Hovde has invested his fortune in one of the darkest, most divisive campaigns in Wisconsin history,” Baldwin campaign spokesman Andrew Mamo said in a statement.
“Wisconsinans will reject Hovde because they know Tammy Baldwin is showing up, listening and working with everyone to get the job done,” he said.
Hovde and allies have released several ads targeting Baldwin on transgender issues, mirroring those aired nationally by the former president. Donald Trump and on behalf of other Republican Senate candidates.
Hovden’s ads include one He falsely accuses Baldwin “Funding a clinic that offers transgender therapy to minors without parental consent,” and another accuses him to help fund a non-profit that “advances an aggressive LGBTQ agenda against children without parental involvement.”
The ads come amid a bitter battlefield race that has intensified in recent weeks and featured many personal attacks.
Baldwin and outside the Democratic groups have drawn attention Where Hovden mainly lives California in recent years. Hovde also frequently attacked Baldwin as an out-of-touch career politician.