Fact-checking Tammy Baldwin and Eric Hovde ahead of their U.S. Senate debate

Next to the presidential race, the biggest Nov. 5 election in Wisconsin is for the U.S. Senate, and Wisconsin Watch is following it closely.

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

The pair square off for their only scheduled debate Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. — a high-stakes event as some polls and analysts suggest the race is tightening.

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

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

“This tightening, as Hovde has further consolidated Republicans behind him and brought independents over to his side, is largely predictable,” wrote Jessica Taylor, who tracks U.S. 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.”

She noted that Baldwin still leads among independent voters, though there has been movement toward Hovde among the bloc — a group of fickle voters who in 2022 reelected both Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

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

Claims about Baldwin

Transgender attack: No, Baldwin did not fund a transgender clinic for youths.

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

Hovde alluded to the earmark in claiming that Baldwin “gave all of our money to a transgender clinic … that does this without notifying parents.”

Legalizing immigrants: Yes, Baldwin supported offering legal status to 11 million undocumented immigrants.

Baldwin cosponsored a 2021 bill, which did not become law, that would have offered legal status — under certain conditions — to an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants, by Baldwin’s own estimate.

The dark-money group One Nation branded Baldwin’s cosponsorship as blanket amnesty, an imprecise immigration term.

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

That’s per a brief we published in May 2023 on a statement made by Wisconsin Republican Party chair Brian Schimming. The analysis was by the news website FiveThirtyEight.

Most liberal: Yes, Baldwin is rated one of the most liberal members of the Senate.

That was according to an April 2023 check we did of a social media post. Several ratings, including one by FiveThirtyEight, put Baldwin in that category.

Abortion funding: Yes, Baldwin proposed to spend $25 million to train abortion providers.

Baldwin made that legislative proposal in 2023, as we found in checking a social media post. No votes have been taken on the bill.

Legislative record: Yes, Baldwin authored legislation as a U.S. senator.

Baldwin has introduced hundreds of bills, despite Hovde’s claim to the contrary.

Claims about Hovde

On farmers: No, Hovde did not say that farmers don’t work hard.

A Baldwin TV ad mischaracterized what Hovde said in a 2012 interview when he described historical changes in U.S. occupations.

“We don’t engage in hard labor like we did, we don’t have as many accidents on the job, most of us now are involved in some type of white-collar profession, or even professions that are involved with manual labor,” Hovde said. “It’s much safer, much more protective. Think of farming. Look at the old physical toil that it would take on your body, now you’re largely driving around on a tractor.”

On seniors voting: No, Hovde did not say most senior citizens shouldn’t vote.

The claim was made in a TV 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 a few cases of mentally incompetent people voting. Hovde said: “If you’re in a nursing home, you only have five, six months’ life expectancy. Almost nobody in a nursing home is in a point to vote.”

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

Baldwin made that claim in a TV ad. During his 2012 run for the U.S. Senate, Hovde lamented the number of children “born out of wedlock,” saying it is “a direct path to a life of poverty. There’s been numerous studies that show that it leads to higher drug rates.”

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

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

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

‘Deplorable’ mischaracterized: No, Hovde did not once call most Americans deplorable.

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

The Wisconsin Democratic Party mischaracterized what Hovde said.