Takeaways from sharp exchanges in the Tammy Baldwin, Eric Hovde U.S. Senate debate
MADISON – Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Republican challenger Eric Hovde traded barbs over health care, abortion, TV ads and even their personal lives Friday during their first and only scheduled debate ahead of the Nov. 5. election.
From the start, the two candidates accused one another of lying.
The most heated moment came when Hovde said Baldwin had a conflict of interest by not reporting investments made by her partner, Maria Brisbane, a Wall Street money manager.
“Her partner on Wall Street, a Wall Street executive, is investing in big tech and Big Pharma, a committee she oversees, and they don’t disclose those investments and how much they’re profiting from it,” Hovde said. “That’s fundamentally wrong, and you should disclose what investment your partner is making.”
Baldwin, who is not required to make such disclosures under Senate rules, shot back at Hovde.
“Eric Hovde should stay out of my personal life,” Baldwin responded. “And I think I speak for most Wisconsin women that he should stay out of all of our personal lives.”
The debate was presented by the nonpartisan Wisconsin Broadcasters Association and hosted at WMTV in Madison.
Hovde, a Madison real estate and banking mogul, has tried to get Baldwin to agree to more debates but she has declined. That means Friday's debate was likely the only time voters will hear from both candidates side-by-side. Baldwin participated in three debates against former Gov. Tommy Thompson in her first Senate bid and another three in 2018 when she fended off a challenge from former state Sen. Leah Vukmir.
Baldwin and Hovde are separated by just a point or two percentage points in recent polls, although the most recent Marquette Law School poll showed wider lead for Baldwin.
Here are four additional takeaways from Friday's debate between Baldwin and Hovde.
Hovde, Baldwin dispute Affordable Care Act's effectiveness
Hovde argued the Affordable Care Act, the landmark health care legislation passed under Democratic former President Barack Obama, failed to lower costs, increase access and allow patients to keep their primary care providers.
"Every one of those promises has failed," he said.
Baldwin, on the other hand, touted the role she played in the passage of the Affordable Care Act, which occurred when she was serving in the U.S. House of Representatives — in particular writing the amendment that allows young people to stay on their parents’ health insurance until they turn 26.
"We need to build upon the Affordable Care Act, and we need to build upon our efforts to negotiate lower prescription drug prices," she said.
More: Eric Hovde calls for closing U.S. education department, blasting it as a 'monstrosity'
Hovde admits he doesn't know details of farm bill
Asked about a stalled farm bill in Congress, Hovde was unable to say what would be needed for him to vote for new legislation, which provides subsidies to farms and funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as food stamps.
"I'm not an expert on the farm bill because I'm not in the U.S. Senate at this point in time," Hovde said. "So I can't opine specifically on all aspects of the farm bill."
More: Republicans zero in on transgender messaging as attack line in Wisconsin campaigns
He followed that up by saying past farm legislation has funded big corporations at the expense of small farmers. He said the Wisconsin farmers he talks to say they are too heavily regulated.
Baldwin said the problem with the farm bill is that House leaders have made dramatic cuts to nutrition programs, which she said are necessary for farmers to sell their goods. She added that Hovde's plan to roll back the federal budget to 2019 levels would mean a 34% cut in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
She then touted her endorsement by the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, saying she was the first Democrat in nearly 20 years to receive that support.
More: Hovde calls for cutting budget to 2019 levels, raising Social Security age for those under 40
Abortion access takes center stage
"A woman's rights and freedoms should not depend upon her ZIP code or state," Baldwin said, noting that Wisconsin's 1849 law effectively banning abortion in all cases unless the mother's life is in danger was reactivated by the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
Baldwin touted her work on a bill that would codify the provisions of Roe v. Wade as national law.
"I think we as a state should resolve this in a common-sense and compassionate approach. I believe in the beauty of life," Hovde said.
The candidate said, as he has before during this campaign, that he believes "women should have a right to decide early on in their pregnancy" and that he supports exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother
More: Tammy Baldwin, Eric Hovde take opposing views on maintaining the Senate filibuster rule
Candidates respond to ad critiques
Both candidates were asked to respond to critiques of advertisements they've run that have been debunked by independent fact-checkers.
The statewide public affairs network WisconsinEye in September called on Baldwin's campaign to stop using its publicly available footage in campaign ads, arguing such use violates the network's terms of use and the spirit of its mission. The request was in reference to an ad claiming Hovde "says that farmers don’t work hard," then showing a brief clip from a 2012 interview.
But in another ad, Hovde falsely accuses Baldwin of “funding a clinic that offers transgender therapy.”
"I spend so much time with dairy farmers, and I can tell you, they are insulted by those words," Baldwin said of Hovde's 2012 comments."Look, every single one of Senator Baldwin's ads has been a lie," Hovde said. "I'm supposedly a jerk from California, yet I'm born, raised here in the state."
Jessie Opoien can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Takeaways from Tammy Baldwin, Eric Hovde debate in U.S. Senate race