Victorious Tammy Baldwin says she's ready to work with — and stand up to — Donald Trump
More than 36 hours after the polls closed, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin finally addressed supporters in Madison Thursday, a day after being declared the winner in her third bid for the Senate.
Baldwin, who defeated challenger Eric Hovde by just under 30,000 votes out of nearly 3.4 million cast, promised to work with President-elect Donald Trump but vowed to stand up to him if she felt his policies didn't benefit Wisconsin.
Supporters of the Madison Democrat spent a long night at the Orpheum Theater awaiting results — as did Hovde supporters at The Edgewater hotel — before heading home not knowing which way the election would go. The Associated Press would finally call the race shortly before 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
Hovde has yet to concede or say whether he'd seek a recount. The margin between the two is less than one point, according to preliminary election results, which means the Madison businessman could still request a recount.
At 49.4% to 48.5%, Baldwin's margin over her Republican rival was within the 1 point needed to qualify for a recount. But because it's more than a quarter of a percentage point, Hovde's campaign would have to pay for any recount. He has until three days after the official canvass is complete, which is projected to finish around Nov. 19, to decide.
In a speech at Steamfitters Local 601 in Madison, Baldwin thanked supporters for pushing her across the finish line.
"And while I am overjoyed at this victory, I have to acknowledge the results of the presidential race," she said. "While we worked our hearts out to elect Kamala Harris, I recognize that the people of Wisconsin chose Donald Trump, and I respect their choice.
"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."
The Madison Democrat, who's never lost a race in 38 years, also said "we deserve a politics with less vitriol, less division, less hatred, and fewer lies. Actually, no lies."
"It's time that we put the politics of division behind us," she added. "It's time we lower costs for working families, deliver more affordable health care, continue to fight for a made-in-Wisconsin economy and redouble our efforts to pass my Women's Health Protection Act."
The bill Baldwin mentioned would restore the national right to abortion access that was repealed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022.
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