Eric Hovde, the Republican Senate candidate in Wisconsin who’s been spreading election conspiracy theories since the race was called for Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, finally conceded to her Monday nearly two weeks after the election.
Hovde, a multimillionaire banker and real estate developer, announced his concession in a six-minute video posted to social media, repeating his debunked concerns but saying he doesn’t want to “add to political strife” by asking for a recount.
“The results from election night were disappointing, particularly in light of the last-minute absentee ballots that were dropped in Milwaukee at 4 a.m., flipping the outcome,” he said. “There are many troubling issues around these absentee ballots and their timing.”
He added that he’s “heard from numerous supporters urging me to challenge the election results.”
The Associated Press called the election for incumbent Baldwin the day after the election. With nearly all votes counted, Baldwin is ahead of Hovde by 29,116 votes.
Despite that, Hovde refused to concede the election to her and began floating the possibility of election fraud.
“Like many of my supporters, I was shocked by what unfolded on election night,” Hovde said in a video posted to social media last week. “At 1 a.m. I was receiving calls of congratulations, and based on the models, it appeared I would win the Senate race. Then, at 4 a.m., Milwaukee reported approximately 108,000 absentee ballots, with Senator Baldwin receiving nearly 90% of those ballots. Statistically, this outcome seems improbable.”
Baldwin called on him to accept the results and move on.
“Eric Hovde is spreading lies from the darkest corners of the internet to undercut our free and fair elections,” she posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Wisconsin voters made their voices heard. It’s time for Hovde to stop this disgusting attack on our democracy and concede.”
Regardless of Baldwin’s win, Republicans managed to reclaim the Senate from Democratic control and are projected to have a majority by six seats.