Fact Check Tammy Baldwin, Eric Hovde Before Their Debate

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Next to the presidential race, Wisconsin’s most important election on November 5 is for the U.S. Senate, and Wisconsin Watch is following it closely.

We’ve published summaries of more than 20 statements made by and about the incumbent, Democrat Tammy Baldwin, and her Republican challenger, Eric Hovde.

The pair are gearing up for their only debate scheduled on October 18 at 7pm, a high-stakes event as some polls and analysts suggest the race is tightening.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report last week changed the race from “Leans Democratic” to “pulling up” for the first time this cycle.

A recent Cook Political Report poll found Baldwin ahead by two points, and internal polls for both campaigns reflect that number. However, a recent poll by Marquette Law School, the gold standard in Wisconsin, found Baldwin leading 53 percent to 46 percent.

“This tightening, as Hovde has further consolidated Republicans behind him and brought independents to his side, is largely predictable,” wrote Jessica Taylor, who tracks the US Senate races for Cook. “Wisconsin is one of the most evenly divided states in the country, and the 2022 Senate race was decided by one point.”

He noted that Baldwin still leads among independent voters, although there have been moves toward Hovde among the bloc, a fickle group of voters who in 2022 re-elected Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

Here’s what we found in our fact-checking.

Claims about Baldwin

Transgender Attack: No, Baldwin did not fund a transgender youth clinic.

Baldwin directed $400,000 in federal spending in 2024 to Briarpatch Youth Services, a Madison, Wis.-area nonprofit that provides counseling, shelter and other services to runaway and homeless youth. It’s not a transgender clinic, but it does have a program that supports “queer youth ages 13-18.”

Hovde alluded to the destination by stating that Baldwin “gave all our money to a transgender clinic … that does it without notifying the parents.”

Legalization of immigrants: Yes, Baldwin supported providing legal status to 11 million undocumented immigrants.

Baldwin co-sponsored a 2021 bill, which did not become law, that would have offered legal status, under certain conditions, to about 11 million undocumented immigrants, according to Baldwin’s estimates.

The dark money group One Nation called Baldwin’s co-sponsorship a blanket amnesty, an imprecise immigration term.

Supporting Biden: Yes, Baldwin voted with President Joe Biden’s agenda 95% of the time.

That’s according to a write-up we published in May 2023 on a statement from Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Brian Schimming. The analysis was carried out by the news website FiveThirtyEight.

The most liberal: Yes, Baldwin is considered one of the most liberal members of the Senate.

This was according to an April 2023 check we did of a social media post. Several ratings, including one from FiveThirtyEight, placed Baldwin in this category.

Funding Abortion: Yes, Baldwin proposed spending $25 million to train abortion providers.

Baldwin made this legislative proposal in 2023, as we found out by checking a social media post. The bill has not been voted on.

Legislative register: Yes, Baldwin authored the legislation as a United States Senator.

Baldwin has filed hundreds of bills, despite Hovde’s claims to the contrary.

Claims about Hovde

About farmers: No, Hovde didn’t say that farmers don’t work hard.

A Baldwin TV commercial mischaracterized what Hovde said in a 2012 interview when he described the historic changes in American occupations.

“We don’t engage in forced labor like we used to, we don’t have as many accidents at work, most of us are now involved in some kind of white-collar profession, or even professions that are related to manual labor,” , Hovde said. “It’s much safer, much more protective. Think about farming. Look at the old physical strain that would put your body through, now you’re largely driving a tractor.”

About senior voting: No, Hovde didn’t say most seniors shouldn’t vote.

The claim was made in a television ad by WinSenate, a liberal super PAC.

Hovde described in an April interview what he claimed were voting irregularities involving Wisconsin nursing home residents in the 2020 presidential election. A partisan investigation produced no evidence of malicious intent behind some cases of mentally incompetent voting. Hovde said, “If you’re in a nursing home, you only have five or six months to live. Almost nobody in a nursing home is going to vote.”

In single parents: Yes, Hovde said single parenthood leads to poverty and drug addiction.

Baldwin made this claim in a television commercial. During his run for the US Senate in 2012, Hovde lamented the number of children “born out of wedlock”, saying it is “a direct path to a life of poverty”. There have been numerous studies showing that it leads to higher drug rates.”

Not 100% anti-choice: No, Hovde is not “100% anti-choice” on abortion.

Hovde said in 2012 that he was totally against abortion rights, but has since changed his position, contradicting a claim Baldwin made in an interview.

Hovde said in February that he supported exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. In April, she said that “women, early in their pregnancy, should have the right to choose.” And he said Wisconsin voters should decide when in a pregnancy abortion should be illegal.

“Deplorable” mischaracterized: No, Hovde did not once say most deplorable Americans.

In a 2016 interview, Hovde said it’s “deplorable” how misinformed most Americans are.

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin misinterpreted what Hovde said.

Other statements

Wages under Trump

Yes, real wages rose under President Donald Trump more than any other modern president, as Hovde accurately stated.

Federal spending

Yes, as Hovde said, federal spending is 50% higher than pre-Covid levels.

Yes, the federal government is spending more on debt payments than it is on defense by 2024, as Hovde said.

fentanyl

Yes, as Baldwin said, 90% of illegal fentanyl seized in the US is seized at legal ports of entry.

No, fentanyl does not kill more than 100,000 Americans each year, contradicting a claim by Hovde.

reproductive health

Yes, most abortions in the US are done with medication, as Hovde stated.

Yes, about 90% of Americans support access to contraception, as Baldwin correctly stated.

Hamas hostages

A Wisconsin Democratic Party resolution calling for an unconditional cease-fire in Gaza did not address the hostages held by Hamas, as Hovde correctly stated.

COVID-19 expense

Yes, Madison, Wisconsin allocated $700,000 in federal COVID-19 funds for services for undocumented immigrants, as Hovde correctly stated.

Marriage between people of the same sex
Yes, polls have shown that 70% of Americans believe same-sex marriage should be legal, just as Baldwin said.

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