Wisconsin U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde (R) said in 2017 that, if it were up to him, alcohol would only be available to people who brew or distill it themselves, Rolling Stone reports.
Acknowledging that it would be difficult to wind back the commercialization of alcohol, Hovde went on to say: “The horse is out of the barn, and it’s going to be hard to put back.”
“A leading Democratic super PAC is up with a $2 million ad buy attempting to paint newly declared Wisconsin Senate GOP candidate Eric Hovde as an out-of-state California banker,” Politico reports.
Multimillionaire businessman Eric Hovde (R) is planning to launch a bid for U.S. Senate against incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) next week, the AP reports.
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Wisconsin finds Sheriff David Clarke (R) leading the GOP Senate race with 52%, followed by 7% for Eric Hovde (R) and 6% for Scott Mayer (R).
Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) “will not seek to challenge Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin for her US Senate seat next year, the second congressional Republican in recent weeks to pass on a bid in the crucial swing state,” CNN reports.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) “is paying himself back hundreds of thousands of dollars for loans he made to his prior Senate campaigns, despite claiming he wouldn’t seek to recoup the money from donors,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
“Johnson previously claimed that he wouldn’t seek to repay the $8.4 million in outstanding loans he claimed his campaign owes him for loans in his 2010 and 2016 campaigns.”
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “that he will not run for Senate in 2024, leaving wide open the Republican field for a seat in a key battleground state that could help decide who controls Congress’ higher chamber.”
A new Public Policy Polling survey of Republicans in Wisconsin finds that Sheriff David Clarke (R) is their top choice to be their Senate candidate with 40%, followed by Mike Gallagher at 20% and Tom Tiffany at 10%.
In the presidential race, Donald Trump leads the GOP field with 41%, followed by Ron DeSantis at 25%, Mike Pence at 8%, Nikki Haley at 5% and Tim Scott at 5%.
“Senate GOP recruiters are making a renewed push to lure Rep. Mike Gallagher into Wisconsin’s Senate race,” Politico reports.
“Gallagher, a four-term member who represents the northeastern portion of the state, is considering a run against Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin. National Republicans have concluded he would be their strongest possible nominee and are eagerly courting him.”
“Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) this week signaled he’s considering a 2024 Senate run against incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), buying two website domain names in preparation for a potential bid,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
“No Republican has declared a formal challenge to Baldwin for the swing-state seat that could help determine which party controls the Senate.”
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced Wednesday that she will run for reelection in 2024.
Playbook: “The campaign could be one of the country’s most pivotal swing Senate races, though Baldwin is a strong fundraiser and she romped by 11 points in her last go-around in 2018.”
“Baldwin plans to run on Democrats’ recent legislative record, from the Inflation Reduction Act to help for veterans’ toxic burn pit exposure… She’s also expected to focus heavily on abortion rights, especially in the wake of a liberal state Supreme Court candidate’s big victory last week.”
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) declared Wednesday morning that “the race is over” as he narrowly defeated challenger Mandela Barnes (D) in a hotly contested race that could help determine which party controls the U.S. Senate, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) “recently made two payments to a law firm led by a Wisconsin attorney embroiled in the Justice Department’s Jan. 6 probe, tapping the firm in part to assist in a possible recount,” NBC News reports.
“Johnson made the payments to the law firm led by James Troupis, who allegedly played a role in a plan to reverse the 2020 election results through the use of ‘fake electors’ that’s now under scrutiny by the federal government. Troupis, a lawyer for Donald Trump’s campaign, led Trump’s unsuccessful recount efforts in Wisconsin.”
Sen. Ron Johnson (R) and challenger Mandela Barnes (D) had a lively debate last night, “but it’s hard to see it changing the course of the election with less than a month to go,” the New York Times reports.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has five takeaways.
Politico: “Barnes’ campaign has privately reached out to Barack Obama’s team to get the former president on the trail in the closing days of his challenge to Republican Sen. Ron Johnson.”
“Among other proposals, Wisconsin Democrats have discussed bringing in President Joe Biden, two people familiar with the conversations said. They are in various stages of planning with Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).”
CNN: Barnes seeks to rebut crime attacks headed into final Senate debate with Johnson in Wisconsin.
A new Marquette Law School Poll survey of Wisconsin finds a wider margin in the U.S. Senate race than a month ago.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R) now leads challenger Mandela Barnes (D), 52% to 46%.
In the governor’s race, Gov. Tony Evers (D) barely edges challenger Tim Michels (R), 47% to 46%.
A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial calls Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) “the worst Wisconsin political representative since the infamous Sen. Joseph McCarthy.”
“Wisconsin Democrat Mandela Barnes is looking to turn around his struggling Senate campaign after being battered by two months’ worth of attack ads labeling him soft on crime,” Politico reports.
“His play: make the race a referendum on Republican Sen. Ron Johnson’s record on abortion policy.”
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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