First Openly LGBTQ+ Senator Narrowly Defends Wisconsin Seat as Democrats Fall Short in Other Battlegrounds
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11/06/2024 01:52 PM
Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin defeated GOP challenger Eric Hovde in a state that Donald Trump won this year, preventing another seat from flipping red after Democrats lost their Senate majority
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(Left) Sen. Tammy Baldwin speaks on stage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 22, 2024; (Right) Wisconsin Senate candidate Eric Hovde speaks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 16, 2024.Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin has defeated Republican challenger Eric Hovde in the crucial Wisconsin Senate race, preserving a vulnerable blue seat, The Associated Press projects.
Baldwin was declared the winner of her race hours after Wisconsin swayed Republican in the presidential race, voting to elect Donald Trump over Kamala Harris.
The non-partisan Cook Political Report previously ranked the Wisconsin race as among the Senate's most competitive, and classified the contest as a "toss-up." Baldwin, 62, was running for a third term in the Senate, while Hovde, a 60-year-old businessman, had minimal political experience after competing for the GOP's Senate nomination in 2012.
Morry Gash/AP
Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Eric Hovde shake hands before a televised debate on Oct. 18, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin.Heading into Election Day, the Democratic Party held only a 51-49 majority in the Senate, making Wisconsin's race especially important. In the 2024 elections, Republicans erased Democrats' Senate edge by flipping Montana, Ohio and West Virginia. Other battlegrounds remained undecided when Baldwin clinched the victory.
In 1999, Baldwin became the first openly lesbian woman elected to Congress when she joined the House of Representatives. She made history again as the first openly LGBTQ+ senator when she embraced her latest role in 2013.
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Sen. Tammy Baldwin at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois on Aug. 22, 2024.Baldwin entered politics from a background in law, and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
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She was rumored to be on President Joe Biden's initial running mate shortlist for the 2020 presidential election, and made Wisconsin manufacturing, veteran's issues, lowering prescription drug prices and the freedom to choose key issues of her latest campaign.
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Eric Hovde at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 16, 2024.Hovde, a fourth generation Wisconsinite with a business background, was criticized during the Senate run for "mostly living" in California since 2018, according to The Wisconsin Independent. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported in October 2023 that he failed to vote in 17 of the last 30 elections in Wisconsin.
However, in light of the the Badger State's deep political divides, Hovde's conservative values and endorsement from Trump put him on strong footing.
The Associated Press reported that Hovde spent $13 million of his own money on the campaign, and his website listed the cost of living, immigration, foreign policy and healthcare as his key priorities.
