Wisconsin GOP Senate candidate weighing options after race called for opponent
Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde released a video Tuesday questioning the Wisconsin election results that show he lost to incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) last week.
“Many people have been wondering why I have remained quiet since election night. I believe it’s better not to comment until I have the facts,” Hovde says in the video he posted to social media.
Hovde said he went from receiving “congratulations” calls to doubting a shocking loss after more than 100,000 new absentee ballots were reported.
“Like many of my supporters, I was shocked by what unfolded on election night. At 1 a.m., I was receiving calls of congratulations, and based on the models, it appeared I would win the Senate race,” he said. “Then, at 4 a.m., Milwaukee reported approximately 108,000 absentee ballots, with Sen. Baldwin receiving nearly 90 percent of those ballots.”
Decision Desk HQ/The Hill declared Baldwin the race’s winner, with 49.4 percent of the vote to Hovde’s 48.5 percent. There are 28,955 votes separating them.
The legislative hopeful blamed the loss on same-day voter registration and poorly maintained voter rolls, and mentioned considering a recount effort in lieu of discrepancies.
