Republican Eric Hovde to challenge Tammy Baldwin in crucial Senate race

Republican candidate Eric Hovde won the GOP primary for Wisconsin’s Senate seat , setting the stage for one of the most competitive elections of the 2024 cycle that will help determine the balance of power in the upper chamber next year.

Hovde handily defeated his two Republican opponents after garnering 90.4% of the vote with 6% of ballots tallied. The Associated Press called the race in his favor at 9:20 p.m. Eastern.

Hovde will go on to face Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), who holds one of 23 seats Democrats must defend in order to keep their slim majority in the Senate. The race is rated as “Lean Democratic” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report but has emerged as one of the most crucial seats to hold on to in November.

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Hovde emerged from a crowded field of Republican candidates, largely thanks to a coveted endorsement from former President Donald Trump. The Republican candidate also poured millions of dollars of his own money into the race, spending at least $13 million over the last four months.

However, Hovde may have an uphill battle in the crucial battleground state as Baldwin has held a healthy lead in early polls. The l atest survey from the New York Times and Siena College showed Baldwin leading Hovde by 7 points, 51% to 44%.