Wisconsin GOP Senate candidate Eric Hovde has pledged to donate his salary to charity if he is elected.
Hovde, a Madison-area businessman, announced in February that he would be challenging Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) for the seat, handing the GOP one of the final pieces to its 2024 map puzzle in the key swing state.
Hovde released a campaign advertisement Thursday that criticized career politicians. He said they sell out to special interests and prioritize them over constituents.
“Washington has become corrupt. Career politicians sell themselves to special interests and end up working for them and not you,” Hovde said in the ad. “I’ve worked hard, been fortunate. I don’t need their special interest money, and I won’t take it.”
“If you decide to elect me as your next senator, I’ll donate my entire salary to Wisconsin charity every year,” he continued. “I’m Eric Hovde. I can’t be bought and I will put you in our country first.”
Most senators earn a $174,000 salary, funded by taxpayers.
The candidate’s spokesperson told The Associated Press that the exact charities Hovde would donate to if elected have not yet been determined, but they would not include the Hovde Foundation, which is run by his family.
Hovde, born and raised in Wisconsin, has already come under fire from Democrats who have criticized his ties to California. A website created by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin trolled the candidate by releasing “facts about California bank owner” Hovde.
The website said he lives in a $7 million mansion with ocean views in Laguna Beach, Calif., and questioned if Hovde only moves back to the Badger State when he wants to run for office. Hovde ran for a Senate seat in 2012 but lost in the GOP primary to former Gov. Tommy Thompson.
Before Hovde launched his current campaign, his name was tossed around for months as the top choice of the National Republican Senatorial Committee because Wisconsin was the last remaining contest without a Senate GOP candidate.
He is expected to spend approximately $20 million of his own money on the Senate bid against Baldwin. Republican operatives say Hovde entering the race is a smart move for the GOP in a presidential election year, despite Baldwin’s history of winning the seat.
As of 2012, Hovde’s net worth was at least $52 million, the AP noted.
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