Senator Tammy Baldwin Photo: Milwaukee Journal screenshot
Presidential candidate Kamala Harris held her first official campaign event in the must-win battleground state of Wisconsin on Tuesday. The event was introduced by outgoing two-term Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who gave an enthusiastic endorsement of Harris’ historic candidacy.
“I am so proud to endorse Kamala Harris for president of the United States!” Baldwin told a crowd of several thousand people in a high school gym outside Milwaukee, who cheered in approval.
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The kickoff rally in suburban West Allis came just 48 hours after President Joe Biden decided not to run for a second term and endorsed his vice president. In the two days since, Democrats A staggering $256 million Half of the donors backed Harris’ campaign, and half of those came from small donors.
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In their speeches, Baldwin and Harris both emphasized the importance of Wisconsin on the electoral map.
“There’s a reason she started her campaign here in Wisconsin,” Baldwin said of the Democratic front-runner, “because it’s a battleground state. Wisconsin will likely determine who occupies the White House and which party controls the United States Senate. No pressure!”
In 2016, Hillary Clinton lost Wisconsin to Donald Trump by less than 1% of the vote, marking a turning point in the election that saw Trump become president despite losing the popular vote.
In 2020, Biden won Wisconsin by an even narrower Democratic margin.
Baldwin is seeking a third term in the Senate against Republican Eric Hovde, a MAGA candidate backed by President Trump. Hovde is a billionaire who first ran for Senate in 2012 but lost in the primary to former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson.
The political aspirant considered running a second time against Baldwin in 2018 but gave up, as well as considering a 2022 bid against Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D).
Hovde, 59, said he is “totally opposed” to abortion, wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act and ban transgender athletes from participating in sports.
Since his first election to the Senate, the far-right Republican A statement mustache He lived part-time in Orange County, California, where he owned and operated Sunwest Bank and was accused by Baldwin of money laundering.
“Eric Hovde owns a $3 billion Bank of California,” Baldwin told the rally attendees. “He owns a $7 million ocean view mansion in Laguna Beach, and he’s actually been voted one of Orange County’s most influential residents three years in a row. Folks, we have Greene County and Brown County. We don’t have an Orange County in Wisconsin!”
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