Wisconsin Republican and Senate candidate Eric Hovde officially conceded the election to the incumbent Democrat Tammy Baldwin on Monday, after previously refusing to do so.
Hovde’s concession Monday came just one day before the deadline to certify the election results. Because his margin of defeat was within one percentage point, he could have requested a recount in some or all Wisconsin counties, although he would have had to pay for it himself.
In his video conceding the election, Hovde continued to say there were “troubling issues” with absentee ballots in Milwaukee, a claim which Democrats, Republicans and nonpartisan election leaders all refuted.
“Without a detailed review of all the ballots and their legitimacy, which will be difficult to obtain in the courts, a request for a recount would serve no purpose because you will just be recounting the same ballots regardless of their integrity,” Hovde said Monday in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Hovde also said he has not ruled out another political campaign in the future.
This story was written by Mia Thurow. She can be reached at [email protected].
