Tammy Baldwin Denounces GOP Opponent’s Ads as Homophobic

This blog is originally appeared at LGBTQ Nation.

In a closely contested Senate race in Wisconsin, Republican candidate Eric Hovde is heavily investing in ads targeting incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and her longtime partner.

When asked by CNN if she believes Hovde aims to remind voters of her sexual orientation, Baldwin responded, “I think he is.”

The ads feature Baldwin’s partner, Maria Brisbane, who heads a private wealth management division at Morgan Stanley, questioning Baldwin’s ethics while subtly highlighting her sexual orientation.

One ad shows a woman in her kitchen stating, “Baldwin’s in bed with Wall Street,” referencing the senator’s relationship with Brisbane. In other instances, Brisbane is labeled Baldwin’s “girlfriend.”

All these ads convey a similar dual message, funded by a significant influx of cash from Republican sources and Hovde’s own wealth.

While Democrats are expected to outspend Republicans overall in the Senate race, Hovde and his supporters have reserved $51 million for advertising from October 1 through Election Day, compared to $39 million for the Democrats.

Hovde’s latest advertisement twists Baldwin’s previous statements against her, featuring a 2009 Senate hearing where she discussed domestic partner benefits.

“Married members must disclose important information about their spouse’s income, investments, gifts, and debts. Surely the public interest would require that these obligations apply to partners of gay and lesbian officeholders,” Baldwin states in a C-SPAN clip.

The ad’s narrator then contrasts this with a recent debate where Baldwin, addressing Hovde, said, “Stay out of my personal life,” highlighting that she and Brisbane are not married.

Baldwin further asserted, “And I think I speak for most Wisconsin women that he should stay out of all of our personal lives.”

Despite Baldwin’s arguments, she faces challenges regarding financial disclosures related to her partner. She clarified to CNN that, unlike a previous domestic partnership, she is not required to disclose Brisbane’s clients due to a lack of a legally recognized relationship. The couple does own a $1.3 million condominium in Washington together.

Baldwin condemned Hovde’s tactics as a dog whistle, designed to distract from his own financial conflicts tied to owning a $3 billion bank.

“I disclose everything I’m required to,” she stated. “I think he’s trying to divert attention from his own questionable judgments.”

“Imagine him on the Banking Committee, regulating banks,” she added. “This is a serious conflict of interest he wants to deflect from.”

Hovde’s ad campaign also targets the transgender community, linking Baldwin to claims about allowing men to compete in women’s sports and supporting a clinic that allegedly provides transgender therapy to minors without parental consent, which has been proven false.

For the latest headlines affecting LGBTQ+ communities worldwide, subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter.