The Fox News Decision Desk predicts that Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) will manage to survive a tough re-election battle by defeating her Republican opponent in the battleground state.
She defeated challenger Eric Hovde, a Republican businessman who had tried to unseat her. He was especially supported by former President Trump.
Baldwin will be serving his third term in the Senate, having been first elected in 2012.
For Wisconsin Democrats, victory in battleground state in 2024 will take years
Mr. Hovde and Mr. Baldwin faced off for a seat in the Wisconsin State Senate. (Reuters)
The race in Wisconsin was considered particularly competitive, as the state was expected to be decisive in the presidential election as well. If the presidential candidate also wins the state, the chances of a Senate candidate winning will increase significantly, as split voting has declined significantly.
As of mid-October, the Fox News Power Rankings rated Wisconsin a major loser in the presidential election. In late September, the Senate race was rated as “leaning toward the Democratic Party.”
top political handicapper, Cook Political Report, Similarly, I had long considered the Wisconsin Senate race to be in the “lean Democratic” category, but last month I changed my rating to a “toss-up” because the gap in support among the candidates had narrowed. did.
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Republican U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde arrives to address a rally hosted by President Trump on April 2, 2024 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Sources confirmed to Fox News Digital in October that Baldwin's internal polling showed the candidate within the margin of error.
Mr. Baldwin ran unopposed in the Democratic Senate primary, while Mr. Hovde avoided a highly competitive primary because he had no notable opponent in the Republican race.
During the campaign, Baldwin attacked the Republican's business ventures, highlighting his background as a banker, where one of his financial institutions was in California.
Hovde highlighted Baldwin's long career in Washington, D.C., and the slight contrast between her voting record and the policies of President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. He also stressed that Baldwin and her partner, personal finance advisor Maria Brisbane, are not married, so the senator avoids having to disclose her financial information or potential conflicts of interest. .
Wisconsin Senate race shifts to 'toss-up' among handicappers as Tammy Baldwin fights for re-election
Sen. Tammy Baldwin speaks at the WisDems state convention on June 8, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images, Democratic Party of Wisconsin)
Baldwin won approval from the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors in early October, a notable accomplishment in a rural state. The group also cited the support of two Republican lawmakers, Rep. Derrick Van Orden and Rep. Tom Tiffany.
“Senator Baldwin, Congressman Van Orden, and Congressman Tiffany support Wisconsin agriculture by engaging directly with the farming community in their districts,” WFBF President Brad Olson said in a statement.
“Wisconsin Farm Bureau looks forward to working with Senator Baldwin, Congressman Van Orden, Congressman Tiffany and others on behalf of Wisconsin's farmers,” he said. “Each country has shown strong support for policies that address critical challenges facing farmers and the agriculture industry, including securing crop insurance, expanding open-market policies for U.S. agricultural products, and promoting agricultural research and innovation.”
A woman wears a cheese hat with an American flag on it in Wisconsin. (Reuters)
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A recent Quinnipac University poll showed Mr. Baldwin leading Mr. Hovde 50% to 46%, a narrower margin than earlier polls showed. The survey was conducted from October 3rd to 7th and interviewed 1,073 likely Wisconsin voters. The sampling error for Wisconsin was +/- 3 percentage points.
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