Wisconsin Senate candidates have differing visions for the future of Social Security

One of the most closely watched races in the upcoming Nov. 5 election is between incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Republican challenger Eric Hovde. And while a number of issues headline the campaign, one key issue the two candidates differ on is Social Security.

Social Security is a federal program that provides retirement benefits to people who have paid into the system as well as benefits for people with certain disabilities and family and survivor benefits.

Baldwin, who is running for a third term, has long been a supporter of protecting social safety net programs. During a speech at the Democratic National Convention in August, she promised to protect both Social Security and Medicare, the federal health insurance program for people aged 65 and older, saying they were both at risk if former President Donald Trump is elected.

She connected the two programs to her personal history: Baldwin never met her father, and her mother struggled with addiction, so she was raised by her grandparents.

“Everything I know, I learned from them. In every way a child needs, my grandparents were there for me. And as they grew older, it was my privilege to be there for them,” she said. “So when I work to protect Medicare and Social Security, I do it with a personal knowledge of what those big programs meant in small but deeply meaningful ways to my grandparents, and I know what they mean for your parents and grandparents.”

Since she was first elected to the Senate in 2012, Baldwin has supported efforts to protect and expand safety net programs. In 2019, Baldwin and two other Democratic senators introduced legislation that would have expanded access to Medicare to adults as early as age 50, and in 2021, Baldwin co-authored a bill that would have repealed limitations on Social Security, such as eliminating provisions that reduce benefits for people who receive other government benefits, such as a pension. Baldwin was a leader of a resolution affirming the Senate’s commitment to protect and expand Social Security.

Hovde, a millionaire bank executive and real estate developer, ran for Senate in 2012 but lost in the Republican primary. Hovde has said little during the 2024 campaign about Social Security or Medicare, but in the past he has said he supports plans to cut the programs.

While campaigning in 2012, Hovde told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board that social programs such as Social Security and Medicare “absolutely, positively need to be reformed.”

Claiming that entitlement programs were destroying the standard of living in the United States, Hovde said that he thinks the retirement age should be raised to account for Americans’ increasing life expectancy.

“My view on Social Security is real simple: If you’re 50 or older, we’re not going to touch it. If you’re under 50, you’re going to add two years to retirement age. If you’re under 40, you’re going to add two more years, and if you’re under 30, you’re probably going to have to add another year,” he said. He called for “means testing” for entitlement programs.

Baldwin and Hovde will participate in a debate on Oct. 18 hosted by the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Foundation. The debate will be televised statewide starting at 7 p.m.