MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Republican challenger Eric Hovde repeatedly accused each other of lying during an often heated and confrontational debate Friday over the course of their closely watched Senate race.
Here are eight takeaways from the debate held in Madison and hosted by the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association:
Repeated accusations of lying
In their back-and-forth, each candidate accused the other of playing quick and loose with the truth, both on the campaign trail and during the debate itself.
“The only thing you have perfected in Washington is your ability to lie,” Hovde said during an exchange about Social Security.
His comments came after Baldwin pointed out that Hovde supports returning the federal budget to 2019 levels, which she said will lead to massive cuts to popular programs like Social Security.
“He supports spending, just not for you,” Baldwin said.
Baldwin noted that more than a dozen independent fact checkers have found that Hovde made false statements during the campaign.
Hovde responded by claiming that “every single one of their ads was false.” He offered no evidence to support this.
Hovde gets personal. Baldwin tells him to mind his own business
Hovde repeatedly called on Baldwin to disclose more information about the investments and business dealings of her partner, Maria Brisbane, who Forbes ranks as one of the top wealth advisors in the country. Baldwin is under no obligation to disclose this information.
“They don’t disclose these investments and how much they profit from them,” Hovde said, calling it a conflict of interest for Baldwin. “That is fundamentally wrong.”
“Eric Hovde should stay out of my personal life,” Baldwin replied. “And I think I speak for most women in Wisconsin that he should stay out of all of our personal lives.”
If elected, Hovde would be one of the richest members of the Senate, according to his campaign finance report, which shows he has assets worth about $195 million to over $564 million. Baldwin listed assets ranging from $601,000 to nearly $1.3 million.
Baldwin supports national abortion law. Hovde wants the states to decide
Baldwin expressed support for passing a federal law that would legalize abortion nationwide, as was done before the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade was the case in 2022.
“Women are dying because of the current situation,” she said. “Harrowing things happen to women in this state.”
Hovde previously stated that he supports overturning Roe v. Wade supported it, but now says he wouldn’t vote for a federal abortion ban. Instead, he says, states should decide. This is a change in position from 2012, when Hovde last ran for Senate as someone “totally opposed” to abortion.
“I am not in favor of a national abortion ban,” Hovde said during the debate. “I’ve never been like that.”
Former President Donald Trump, who has endorsed Hovde, has indicated he would support a federal ban.
Hovde presents a utility bill to prove he doesn’t live in California
Baldwin and her supporters have tried to paint Hovde as more California than Wisconsin because he owns a $7 million estate in the Pacific coastal city of Laguna Beach and owns Sunwest Bank, which operates on the West Coast.
Hovde was born and raised in Wisconsin.
“I’m supposed to be an idiot from California,” he said, before pulling out a document that he said was an electric bill for his Madison. He asked Baldwin to provide 10 years of utility bills to prove where she lives.
Baldwin supports Obamacare. Hovde wants changes
Baldwin expressed robust support for the national health law, while Hovde called for changes.
“We need to build on the Affordable Care Act,” Baldwin said.
Hovde said the law has failed to curb the rise in health care costs, improve access and allow people to keep their doctor.
“I believe in results, and if you look at the results, every single one of those promises has failed,” he said.
Hovde is against postal voting drop boxes
Hovde questioned the operate of mailboxes, which the Wisconsin Supreme Court banned in 2022 but allowed again this year after the court was controlled by liberal justices.
“We have to create trust in our electoral system,” said Hovde. “It causes too much tension in our country. And I’m telling you, it doesn’t help when our state Supreme Court brings back mailboxes when they were only used for a pandemic. So why are they being brought back?”
Drop boxes have been used in Wisconsin for years, but they became more common in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 500 boxes were used in 2020, but this year the Wisconsin Elections Commission said only 78 were in operate. There could be more since municipalities are not required to report them.
The presidential race largely plays no role in the debate
During the hour-long debate, there was only one passing mention of Trump and not a single mention of Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Hovde supports Trump and has appeared at his rallies. Baldwin supports Harris and has spoken at her events in the state.
The stakes
Democrats must keep their seat in Wisconsin if they want to maintain their slim majority in the Senate. Democrats are defending 23 seats while Republicans only have 11 up for grabs in this election.
Republicans see an opportunity in the swing state of Wisconsin, and both sides have poured money into the campaign, making it one of the five most high-priced Senate races this year.
