According to NBC News, businessman Eric Hovde emerged victorious in the Wisconsin Republican Senate primary, paving the way for a crucial contest against Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin in the battleground state.
Baldwin ran unchallenged as she seeks a third term, while Hovde, who was supported by former President Donald Trump and other national Republicans, comfortably defeated two lesser-known primary opponents.
Both parties have made winning Baldwin’s seat their top objective in the struggle for control of the sharply divided Senate. She has worked hard to amass a substantial campaign fund and capitalize on her popularity in the state’s rural areas.
Baldwin won reelection by 11 points in 2018 after winning by 5 points in 2012. In contrast, in the last two White House races, Trump and President Joe Biden each won the state by less than 1 percentage point. Additionally, Baldwin has performed better in some recent Wisconsin polls than the front-runner on the Democratic ticket.
Hovde, a rich businessman on his own who lost his 2012 Senate bid, has already contributed $13 million to his campaign. However, based on the most recent campaign finance filings, Baldwin has managed to maintain her financial advantage, having spent over $30 million thus far and having $6.4 million remaining in her campaign account as of July 24. As of July 24, Hovde’s campaign had $3.1 million in cash on hand and reported having spent $13.6 million thus far.
The two contenders have already begun slinging jabs at each other, with Hovde long considered the frontrunner to win the GOP nomination.
Baldwin just released an advertisement featuring single mother children, featuring Hovde’s statement that children who are “born out of wedlock” are doomed to a life of poverty.
In the advertisement, someone comments, “That just shows Eric Hovde is ignorant,” and then someone else asks, “What is wrong with this guy?”
With a new TV campaign, Hovde responds to Baldwin’s disparaging advertisements, stating, “She has nothing to defend herself against, therefore the fictitious accusations will continue.” Her track record has let us down on crime, the border, and inflation. Later on, he says, “It’s time for change.”
Voters in Wisconsin participated in the Senate campaign as well as the House and local primaries.
After defeating Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden in the Democratic primary in the 3rd District, businesswoman Rebecca Cooke advanced to the general election. Following the retirement of veteran Democratic Representative Ron Kind in 2022, he won the seat for the Republicans by nearly 4 points.
Following an incident at the Capitol rotunda last year in which he cursed at a group of Senate pages, Van Orden was denounced by lawmakers from both parties.
Trump-backed businessman Tony Wied was victorious in the Republican primary in the 8th District, so securing a contest against Democratic OB-GYN Kristin Lyerly. Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher had held the position until he resigned earlier this year.
Now, in November, Wied and Lyerly will run in two different elections: one for the balance of Gallager’s term and another for a two-year term beginning in January. In the GOP-leaning district, Wied will be preferred.
Additionally, two Republican-backed constitutional amendments that would have limited Democratic Governor Tony Evers’ authority to distribute state and federal funds were rejected by Wisconsin voters, according to The Associated Press.
‘Squad’ member from Minnesota repels main rivals
On Tuesday, down-ballot primaries were also held in Minnesota, Connecticut, and Vermont.
In Minnesota, two congressional candidates made it through their primary. In the resoundingly blue 5th District, Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar defeated two opponents and former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels, who lost to her by only 2 percentage points in the 2022 primary.
Recent weeks have seen the loss of primaries for two of Omar’s fellow members of the progressive “squad” of MPs who have opposed Israel’s war with Hamas.
In the meantime, NBC News forecasts that GOP Representative Michelle Fischbach won her primary, defeating a rival in the deeply red 7th District although she was rejected by the state party’s endorsement in April.
Fischbach boasted on the radio about Trump’s support for her. Businessman Steve Boyd, who was her main primary opponent, claimed in an April statement that her failure to receive the party’s endorsement “proves that Americans are demonstrating their dissatisfaction with the Washington establishment by turning out in large numbers.”
Representative Angie Craig, a Democrat, will square off against Marine veteran Joe Teirab in November in Minnesota’s competitive 2nd District. After his main opponent withdrew from the GOP primaries last month, Teirab—who had Trump’s support—was the front-runner among Republicans.
In 2020, Biden won the 2nd District by 7 points, and in 2022, Craig won her third term by 5 points.
Former NBA player Royce White, who has a track record of making controversial remarks, emerged victorious in the crowded Republican primary to face Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the Senate contest.
White received the support of the state party and was the top fundraiser for the GOP field. However, he has come under fire for failing to pay child support.
Although Republicans have been attempting to include Minnesota in the presidential contest, it would be difficult to unseat Klobuchar. In the last three races, she has won by a margin of at least 20 percentage points.
Notable outcomes in Vermont and Connecticut
After both candidates emerged victorious in their primaries, the AP predicted that Republican former state senator George Logan and Democratic congressman Jahana Hayes would square off in the closely contested 5th District of Connecticut. Two years after Biden won the seat by almost 11 points, Hayes defeated Logan by just 1 point in 2022.
In other Connecticut races, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy defeated Republican bar owner Matthew Corey in his primary and is the clear favorite to win the general election.
Additionally, the AP reports that independent senator Bernie Sanders and Republican governor Phil Scott will face no significant opposition in Vermont’s general election.
Gerald Malloy, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully for the Senate two years ago, will be Sanders’ opponent. The AP estimates that Scott, who will be a strong favorite to win another term despite Vermont’s deep blue color, will face off against Democrat Esther Charlestin, a former member of the Middlebury Selectboard who won the primary.