What Tammy Baldwin and Eric Hovde have said about Israel and the war in Gaza

WASHINGTON – The war in Gaza has become a flashpoint in elections across the country as Democrats have been divided over how to respond to the conflict.

In Wisconsin’s closely watched Senate race, however, the war has remained largely behind the scenes.

Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Republican businessman Eric Hovde are staking out at times opposing positions on the issue, though it wasn’t until recently that Hovde tried to take his first shots at Baldwin over the war.

Here's what the candidates are saying about the war in Gaza:

Tammy Baldwin attempts to walk a fine line on Israel, Gaza

Baldwin, seeking her third term in a race that will help determine the balance of the Senate, has walked a fine line in her approach as she and her colleagues have faced pressure from some on the left over the mounting civilian death toll in Gaza.

She has supported Israel’s right to defend itself and last month helped pass a foreign aid package that sent about $14 billion to aid Israel in its fight with Hamas. But she has also been critical of Israel's response in Gaza, calling for a ceasefire agreement in a push to get humanitarian assistance to civilians and secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas.

At the same time, Baldwin has repudiated the leader of an American-Islamic advocacy organization over remarks on the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, while also joining colleagues earlier this year in calling on President Joe Biden to outline a path to “recognize a nonmilitarized Palestinian state.”

Eric Hovde dismisses calls for Gaza ceasefire

Hovde, meanwhile, has said the United States “must stand with Israel, our ally and the only democracy in the Middle East” and dismissed calls for a ceasefire, telling the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel there is “nothing to suggest” Hamas would abide by an agreement.

He said he has concerns over the civilian death toll in Gaza — “war is hell,” he said — but when asked if he supports sending humanitarian assistance to Gaza, he said only that such assistance “should not be left up to the U.S. alone.”

“Gulf nations have the ability and resources to contribute as well,” Hovde said in an email. “They should be a part of any humanitarian aid effort, both in providing aid and ensuring that aid gets to the people that need it and doesn't get diverted to Hamas' benefit.”

Asked how he would have voted on Congress’ $95 billion aid package to Israel, Taiwan and Ukraine that Baldwin supported, Hovde indicated he would have opposed it and suggested he had issues with the additional aid to Ukraine in its fight with Russia.

“The way this legislation came together is part of the problem with Washington,” he said in an emailed statement. “Helping one ally should not be conditioned on a totally separate conflict with different circumstances. Ukraine should have been provided weapons earlier and before the conflict even began to help prevent the war.”

Baldwin non-committal on supporting housing Gaza refugees in the U.S.

Earlier this month, Hovde accused Baldwin of wanting to bring Palestinians from Gaza to Wisconsin after Baldwin told Politico only that the U.S. has a “proud tradition of sheltering innocent civilians fleeing war and persecution while also ensuring Americans’ safety” and that refugees are “thoroughly vetted before they enter the United States.”

In a statement to the Journal Sentinel, a spokesman for Baldwin was equally non-committal when asked if she would support allowing refugees from Gaza into the country.

“As Tammy has continued to say, she believes the administration’s highest priorities should be achieving a mutually agreed upon ceasefire, bringing hostages home, and getting desperately needed aid into Gaza,” a Baldwin spokesman said. “Any refugee plan the administration releases must prioritize the safety and well-being of Americans and thoroughly vet anyone being considered.”

Baldwin, Hovde both criticize International Criminal Court over warrants

Still, the two candidates’ views have overlapped at times.

When the International Criminal Court this week announced it was seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on war crimes charges, Hovde called the move “totally unwarranted” and Baldwin said it was “absolutely wrong to equate Hamas, a terrorist organization, with Israel.”

“I fear that the ICC’s steps will undermine our goals of reaching a mutually agreed-upon ceasefire, freeing the hostages, and getting humanitarian aid into Gaza,” Baldwin said.

Gaza war ranks low among Wisconsin voters' concerns, Marquette poll shows

Just how much of an impact the war in Gaza will have on the Senate race in Wisconsin isn’t clear. But the war is not top-of-mind for many voters in the state.

A Marquette University Law School Poll from mid-April found the war ranked seventh on a list of top concerns among registered voters. But Biden has faced criticism from Arab Americans and others on the left for his response to the war, leading hundreds of thousands of voters across the country to decline to support him in the presidential primary.

If that trend continues into November, it could impact races down the ballot.

In Wisconsin, more than 48,000 voters chose to vote “uninstructed” in the April 2 presidential primary — over double the nearly 21,000 votes Biden won the state by in 2020.

The economy, immigration and abortion ranked as top issues for Wisconsinites in last month’s poll.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Where Tammy Baldwin and Eric Hovde stand on Israel and the war in Gaza