MADISON (NBC 26) — Republican US Senate candidate Eric Hovde, who narrowly lost his race to incumbent Tammy Baldwin last week, is raising concerns over what he calls "voting inconsistencies."
In a four-plus minute video posted to his X account Tuesday, Hovde said he was "shocked by what unfolded on election night."
Hovde held a lead over Baldwin throughout much of election night, but a count report from Milwaukee at around 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday swung the vote in the incumbent's favor.
"At 1:00 a.m. I was receiving calls of congratulations and based on the models it appeared I would win the Senate race," Hovde said in his video. "Then at 4:00 a.m. Milwaukee reported approximately 108,000 absentee ballots, with Senator Baldwin receiving nearly 90 percent of those ballots."
"Statistically this outcome seems improbable as it didn't match the patterns from same day voting in Milwaukee where I received 22 percent of the votes," Hovde continued.
Many people have reached out to me with concerns about the voting inconsistencies we experienced on Election Day. Here are my thoughts: pic.twitter.com/zDvaeHaizw
— Eric Hovde (@EricHovde) November 12, 2024
Milwaukee's summary results report shows that 107,568 votes were counted via absentee ballot. Records show that 88,229 of those votes went to Baldwin, which is around 82 percent.
The report also shows that 136,465 same-day votes were cast, with just over 75.2 percent going to Baldwin and 21.7 percent going to Hovde.
The Baldwin campaign called Hovde's post a "lie-filled video" and criticized the candidate for "sowing doubt about our very democracy."
“Eric Hovde has stooped as low as a politician can go: sowing doubt about our very democracy. Leaders on both sides of the aisle should condemn the lies he’s spreading and the pathetic campaign he continues to run. Tammy Baldwin has won this race and there is only one thing for Eric Hovde to do: concede.”
According to the Associated Press, Baldwin won the race by less than 29,000 votes - a margin of less than 1 percent. Those results are unofficial.
Under state law, Hovde is allowed to request a recount but would have to pay for that effort himself.
“Many people have reached out and urged me to contest the election," Hovde said. "While I’m deeply concerned, asking for a recount is a serious decision that requires careful consideration."
