Opinion: Eric Hovde's words reinforce claim Senate candidate is an out-of-touch outsider

Since Republican real estate mogul Eric Hovde launched his bid for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Tammy Baldwin in early 2024, I have been trying to get to know him through interviews and stump speeches.

Having not lived in Wisconsin between 2003-2020, I missed his first run for Senate in 2012 (where he lost in the primary to Tommy Thompson) and his flirtation with running in 2018, so I was largely unfamiliar with him prior to this campaign cycle.

Right out of the gate, the Democratic messaging was the same playbook the party used on Tim Michels when he ran for governor in 2022: "He's an out of state, out of touch billionaire who doesn't understand Wisconsin."

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In reviewing some of Hovde's interviews and speeches over the last 12 years, what has stood out to me is that he has done himself zero favors in combating that accusation. Not because of his wealth, his resume or even his mailing address, but because he largely talks in sweeping generalizations about entire voting blocs, including some groups whose support he definitely needs in order to beat a popular incumbent.

Whether its nursing home residents, young people, obese people, Black men, single mothers or even modern farming techniques, there is a litany of examples of Hovde talking about groups he says he wants to represent, but considering his lack of nuance and specificity, clearly he has limited experience or understanding.

Whether it's about the young or old, Hovde has uttered some doozies

Case in point: early in his 2024 campaign, Hovde drew national attention for suggesting most nursing home residents are not qualified to vote. The comment was made while he was discussing his concerns with election administration on The Guy Benson Show , "Well, if you're in a nursing home, you only have five, six months life expectancy. Almost nobody in a nursing home is in a point to vote. And you have children, adult children showing up that said, who voted for my 85- or 90-year-old father or mother?"

Instead of discussing the specific case of the Racine County Sheriff's Office looking into claims from family members that their loved ones were not fit to vote, Hovde opted to say, "Almost nobody in a nursing home is in a point to vote."

In addition, on several occasions he lamented the work ethic of young people. At the Outagamie County Fair in June , Hovde was recorded criticizing the Affordable Care Act policy that allows people under 26 to stay on their parent's health insurance. Hovde can be heard saying, "I think we have never had such a large percentage of working-age Americans that are sitting on the couch and not involved." You can then hear another voice respond with "And still living with their parents," to which Hovde responds with: "And still living with their parents. It's sad."

Earlier in the year, he went on the Vicki McKenna Show with a more specific example of a young woman who is working hard and living with her parents:

"It's sad because you know, Vicki, I was talking to a young person, this 21-year-old gal, and she said to me, 'I work two jobs and I still have to live with my parents. I just can't get on top of the cost of everything.' Now think of that. You're 21 years old, you're wanting to move out of your parents' house, start your life. It's not like you're a slacker like, you know, some kids are who don't work and just want to, you know, stay in mom and dad's home. This was a young gal who wanted to get out of her parents' home, working hard."

It's unclear why Hovde would assume that "21-year-old gal" is the exception rather than the example of what many young people are struggling with right now: working hard but not making enough because of the huge disparity between the cost of living and entry level wages.

Still, he was lamenting the work ethic of young people before he decided to seek the senate seat again. In September 2023, there is an audio recording of Hovde speaking at a Republican Women of Dane County luncheon. During his speech he stated, "I hire a lot of young people... The amount of them that can't write properly and understand a good work ethic — I literally have to take a lot of these young people and start training them right when they come out of college."

Prior to that, during his 2021 remarks at a Sunwest Bank Economic Forum, he said, "There's something going on with our younger people not entering into the labor force, but they have in the past. I fear part of it could be the big chronic drug problem that our country has had with opiates...I think part of it is kids haven't been taught the same work ethic that the Baby Boom generation has."

Then there's ones on obesity, farmers, single moms and Black men

During his 2012 campaign, Hovde was interviewed by Steve Walters for WisconsinEye and suggested that obese people should pay more for their healthcare: "It's a personal choice...you become obese, your health care is going to cost more. Or, the quality — or not the quality, but the amount of health care may go down, because you may not have the money to afford it."

In the same interview , Hovde spoke about workers, including farmers, of past generations working harder and facing more hazards, "We don't have as many accidents on the job, most of us. Now we're involved in some type of white collar profession or even professions that are involved in manual labor, it's much safer, much more protective. Think of farming, look at the old physical toll that it would take on the body. Now you're largely driving around a tractor."

Also in 2012, during an interview with Jerry Bader on AM 1360 WTAQ, Hovde said, "One of the most troubling statistics that I can quote is a social statistic: And that is, 4 out of 10 children born in America, they are born out of wedlock. That is a direct path to a life of poverty...I think we got to get our morals and our ethics back. And I think we got to, you know, get this country turned around."

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During a 2016 interview with Bader, Hovde complained about how, "Most of the country, sadly, doesn't know what the heck is going on" and went on to clump women and men being distracted by frivolous distractions, "I like to say, sadly, with females, they spend too much time with what's going on in Hollywood. And with males, they engross themselves too much with sports. And now it's not just sports, it's fantasy sports."

In April on Fox News he said that, "Young Black men... want to get off of welfare, they don't want to be stuck with handouts." He repeated that sentiment the next day on the Jay Weber show on WISN, "a lot of people in the minority communities, particularly young Black men... are moving in the conservative direction" and "no longer want to just live on just getting welfare checks. They want to be part of the American entrepreneurial dream."

Hovde may have oversimplified himself out of the U.S. Senate

I've found when someone lacks an understanding of a topic or a situation, they often resort to making broad statements that may not accurately reflect the full complexity of the subject, as a way to simplify and make sense of it.

When you go back and listen or watch these speeches or interviews for added context, some of these quotes sound a little less obtuse. Part of Hovde's consistent oversimplification could be due to him just being an ineloquent speaker.

But when it comes to political campaigns, a single sound bite can make or break. And when it comes to the guy who has been stereotyped as a out-of-touch, out-of-state billionaire, his sound sites stereotyping others could be what breaks his campaign.

Kristin Brey is the "My Take" columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.