Republicans have made the decision that voters won’t buy Hovde as a good Senator. Will pouring the dollars on negative Baldwin ads work?

Over the last few weeks a trend has developed in the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Senator Tammy Baldwin and Republican challenger Eric Hovde: the people pouring the money into 3rd party spots have decided they can’t fool the Wisconsin electorate into thinking Eric Hovde would be a good Senator. Hour by hour, day by day, and week by week recently those 3rd party spots have focused on one message: Tammy Baldwin has changed. Nothing on the wonderful ideas Eric Hovde has. Nothing on the business successes of Eric Hovde. Nothing on University of Wisconsin graduate and true Badger Eric Hovde. The big money GOP donors like Dick Uihlein and Diane Hendricks are giving millions pushing just one narrative. One negative narrative. Over and over again. The question is: Will it work?

These nasty ads, which we are hearing over and over again even on WXCO, imply Senator Baldwin will have abused women suffer the indignity of having transitioning men staying at their shelter because she wants “far left” campaign contributions. Really takes some gumption to say the Senator is pandering for money when they are giving millions to have their guy in office? On my program I don’t talk about polls. I hate the segments where someone brings on Dr. Charles Franklin to tell us what the MU Law Poll says. I always think “the same MU Law Poll and same Dr. Charles Franklin who kept reporting Russ Feingold in the lead over Ron Johnson in 2016? In every single poll that year?” However, I can’t not see the Baldwin social media posts saying “Hovde now leads.” Followed by a plea for campaign contributions. I don’t blame Senator Baldwin for this. When the richest Wisconsinites give millions and millions of dollars to say you have changed and don’t have “Wisconsin values” I would want to fight back as well. Unfortunately, the best way to fight back is through campaign ads.

I wish every voter could have seen the Tammy Baldwin I saw last week at a Ginseng farm just outside of Wausau. Not a campaign rally but just a small event with a handful of media as the Senator asks real questions of the farm owner. A farm that was struggling recently because of a trade war with China. It wasn’t just an empty conversation for a couple of cameras. The Senator was asking probing questions will follow-ups based on what she heard. Visiting farms, especially in rural areas, has been a trademark of Senator Baldwin’s time in office. She doesn’t spend all of her time in liberal hot beds but heads to red and purple areas of the state. Ironic that just three days later, Eric Hovde couldn’t answer a question about the Farm Bill languishing in congress. Then he doubled down in an interview with right-wing radio host Vicki McKenna saying “I’m supposed to have studied [the Farm Bill]?” Uh, yes. Then Hovde had a third chance to fix this error. Nope, a natural hat trick for our favorite California banker. According to wispolitics.com Hovde again was asked about the Farm Bill early this week and said, “why in God’s green Earth would I know all the details in a Farm Bill?” I would answer because you want to be the Senator from Wisconsin.

Easy to see why the millionaires and billionaires bankrolling the GOP third party operation have come to the conclusion they can’t try to con the voters into thinking Hovde will be a good Senator for the people of Wisconsin. The second part I still don’t know: will millions of dollars trying to fool the people of Wisconsin that Tammy Baldwin has changed work? My eyes at that ginseng farm say no. The history of millions of dollars in negative ads and it’s affect on voters makes me nervous.