Wisconsinites reelect Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin to a third term
Baldwin said she would work with President-elect Donald Trump to get things done, but also stand up to him when ‘he doesn’t have our best interest at heart.’
Democratic U.S. Sen Tammy Baldwin was reelected to a third term after a close race against Republican challenger Eric Hovde, even as President-elect Donald Trump carried the state in the Nov. 5 presidential election and was elected to a second term as president.
Baldwin beat multimillionaire businessman Hovde by roughly 29,000 votes and less than a percentage point, her closest reelection yet. Because she won by less than 1%, Hovde can legally request a recount. He hadn’t conceded or requested a recount as of the morning of Nov. 7.
“From the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you to the people of Wisconsin for putting their trust in me to continue to be their fighter in Washington, D.C.,” Baldwin said to a cheering crowd in Madison on Nov. 7, two days after the election and one day after the Associated Press called the election for Baldwin.
Trump won Wisconsin by less than 1%, his slimmest victory in any of the swing states. In her victory speech on Thursday, Baldwin called for people to come together and end the divisions in politics, saying she would do the same while still advocating for Wisconsinites.
“You know that I will always fight for Wisconsin, and that means working with President Trump to do that, and standing up to him when he doesn’t have our best interest at heart,” she said.
Ben Wikler, the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, called the Senate race — in which tens of millions of dollars were spent and attack ads were rampant — one of the “darkest, most divisive, most brutal campaigns in the history of Wisconsin politics.”
“Wisconsinites saw through it all. They saw who Sen. Baldwin is. They made clear that they want a senator who will fight for them, who will fight for their fundamental rights and freedoms, who will fight to protect Wisconsin jobs and manufacturing, who will fight corporate special interests, no matter how much money they throw at her, to lower costs for working folks. They wanted a senator who fights for them, and they have one in Sen. Tammy Baldwin,” Wikler said.
Baldwin eked out a victory, despite voters statewide electing a Republican president, because of the on-the-ground campaign work that reached all corners of the state and spoke to people across party lines, Wikler said.
“Folks poured their hearts and souls into this work. People knocked on millions of doors in Wisconsin on nights and weekends, after work, and then all the way through Election Day, taking vacation time. People made millions of phone calls, people texted and reached out to their friends and family and everyone they could find to turn out voters. They dedicated so much because they believed in a brighter future,” Wikler said.
Baldwin said her record motivated voters to support her for another term, too. During her victory speech, she touted her work on the Affordable Care Act, lowering prescription drug prices; her work for farmers and her endorsement from the Wisconsin Farm Bureau; her support for LGBTQ+ rights; her work on manufacturing; and her fight for reproductive rights.
“The way we won this race is the way I’ve always approached this job, and that is, we did everything, everywhere, all at once. I traveled to red, blue, purple, rural, suburban, urban parts of our state. I listen to people, I really listen to people, and then deliver for them. And in turn, these Wisconsinites showed up for me, and I’m so grateful,” she said.
During her speech, Baldwin laid out her priorities for her next term, which ranged from lowering consumer costs, making health care more affordable, and protecting reproductive rights. She said she would continue working to pass her Women’s Health Protection Act, which would restore abortion rights nationwide, “so every woman has the same rights and freedoms, regardless of their state, their county or their zip code. It’s time we follow our state motto and continue our march forward,” she said.
Baldwin was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012. Her reelection gives her another six years in office, and she’ll be up for reelection in 2030. Wisconsin’s other U.S. senator, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, will be up for reelection in 2028.
