By Karen Stokes
Eric Hovde (Photo/AP News)
Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde struggles to connect with Wisconsin voters in his race against incumbent Senator Tammy Baldwin.
His negative remarks on overweight individuals, the viral clip of him flubbing the Pledge of Allegiance, and his cruel comments about older voters in nursing homes highlight his disconnect with voters.
His 2012 remarks about healthcare resurfaced recently on how overweight individuals should pay more for healthcare.
“Look, we have an explosion of Type 2 diabetes right now,” Hovde said. “Obesity is off the charts. We’re removing people from being responsible for their own health. If they all started to realize that they’re going to pay more for their health care by, you know, consuming massive amounts of soda every day or fatty foods and not exercising, maybe they would change their behavior patterns.”
But the latest clip circulating on social media is revealing his lack of awareness regarding Black Wisconsinites, and adding even more controversy.
According to the Washington Post, Hovde made comments in an interview with radio station 101.7 The Truth while participating in a Juneteenth celebration in Milwaukee.
During the interview, Hovde noted that this was the first time he participated in a Juneteenth celebration and acknowledged that he didn’t know much about the holiday until about a decade ago.
“I really don’t think a lot of Americans really understood that,” he said. “Then I started to learn about it, and it’s become a lot more popular.”
Host Ben Hooks asks Hovde if there’s anything he’s “going to take away from this that you didn’t know about Black culture before that, you know of today.” “Look, I’ve spent a lot of time in Black culture,” Hovde replied. “I’ve spent a lot of time in places like Africa because I have homeless shelters for abandoned kids and rescuing kids … out of the streets. And I’ve been involved in schooling and charter schools and things of that nature.”
The candidate then told the hosts that, earlier in the celebration, a man told him about Wisconsin’s history with slavery.
“There actually was slavery in Wisconsin in a spot where they were mining lead by Jefferson Davis, I never knew that,” Hovde said. “I thought that never existed in Wisconsin but there was this one spot for a period of time.”
According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, enslaved people were held in the state for more than a century.
The latest Marquette University Law School poll, shows Democrat Tammy Baldwin who is seeking a third Senate term, is leading Hovde. Among both registered and likely voters, 52% said they backed Baldwin while 47% supported Hovde.