Businessman Eric Hovde won Republican Senate primary in WisconsinNBC News projects a critical battleground state race against Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin is building.
Backed by former President Donald Trump and other national Republicans, Hovde easily defeated two lesser-known primary challengers, while Baldwin ran unopposed as he sought a third term.
Baldwin’s seat is a top priority for both parties in the battle for control of the closely divided Senate. He worked to build a large campaign war chest and strengthen his appeal in the rural areas of the state.
In 2018, Baldwin won re-election by 11 points, after winning by 5 points in 2012. By comparison, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump each won the state by less than 1 percentage point in the last two White House races. Baldwin also did better than the top of the Democratic ticket in some recent Wisconsin survey.
Hovde, a wealthy independent businessman who unsuccessfully ran for the Senate in 2012, has already lent $13 million to his campaign. But Baldwin has maintained a financial lead in the race, spending more than $30 million so far with $6.4 million remaining in his campaign account as of July 24, according to campaign finance reports. Hovde’s campaign reported spending $13.6 million so far and had $3.1 million on hand as of July 24.
With Hovde long viewed as the favorite to win the GOP nomination, the two candidates have already begun trading barbs.
One of Baldwin’s most recent ads highlights the children of single mothers Hovde’s voice He says children “born out of wedlock” are “on a direct path to a life of poverty.”
“It just shows Eric Hub is an idiot,” one person says in the ad, while another later adds, “What’s wrong with this guy?”
Hovde countered Baldwin’s negative publicity, launching a TV spot saying, “The false attacks will continue because he has nothing to run from. His record has failed us on inflation, the border and crime. He then adds: “It’s time for a change.”
Main night in four states
Minnesota, Connecticut and Vermont also had downballot ballots Tuesday.
In Minnesota’s battleground 2nd District, Democratic House incumbent Angie Craig will formally face Marine veteran Joe Teirab in Teirab in November. his main rival dropped out last month.
President Joe Biden won the 2nd District in 2020 by 7 points, and Craig won his 3rd term in 2022 by 5 points.
In another competitive district, Connecticut’s 5th Democratic Rep. Jahana Hayes will once again face former Republican state Sen. George Logan after each went unopposed in their respective primaries. After Biden won the district by nearly 11 points two years ago, Hayes defeated Logan by just 1 point in 2022.
Elsewhere in Connecticut, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy ran unopposed in the primary and moved into the general election as the top favorite against Republican bar owner Matthew Corey, whom the senator defeated in 2018.
In Vermont, Republican Governor Phil Scott and independent Senator Bernie Sanders will move on to the general election, where they do not face serious competition.
Sanders will face Republican Gerald Malloy, who ran unsuccessfully for the Senate two years ago. The Associated Press reported that Democrat Esther Charlestin, a former member of the Middlebury Selectboard, won the primary to challenge Scott, who would be a heavy favorite to win another term despite Vermont’s deep blue color.