Eric Hovde, the Republican Senate candidate in Wisconsin, has decided to concede the race, following his previous doubts about the election results. More than a week ago, Decision Desk HQ/The Hill had already declared incumbent Senator Tammy Baldwin (D) as the winner, with Baldwin securing 49.4% of the vote compared to Hovde’s 48.5%. The results showed a gap of over 28,000 votes between them.
In a video posted on social media platform X, Hovde expressed his disappointment over the outcome, particularly criticizing the late absentee ballots from Milwaukee that were counted at 4 a.m. and appeared to alter the race’s result.
Wisconsin Senate race ends with Hovde conceding following heated election dispute
Hovde noted that many of his supporters had urged him to challenge the results but concluded that a recount would not be beneficial without a thorough review of all ballots, which would be difficult to achieve legally.
“Without addressing the integrity of the ballots, recounting them would be pointless,” he explained. He finally chose to concede, hoping to avoid further political division from a contentious recount.
Earlier, in a video shared last week, Hovde had expressed shock at the election’s results, blaming same-day voter registration and outdated voter rolls for his loss, while suggesting a potential recount.
His remarks sparked criticism from members of his own party. Former Wisconsin lawmaker Joe Handrick pointed out that polling had predicted the outcome, while Bill McCoshen, the state’s former Commerce Secretary, dismissed Hovde’s explanations, calling them a “conspiracy.”
