In the race for a U.S. Senate seat in Wisconsin, Republicans have put a spotlight on lesbian incumbent Tammy Baldwin’s relationship and the career of her partner, CNN reported.
Moreover, Baldwin—who became the first out LGBTQ+ senator when elected in 2012—has been on the defensive.
Since August, GOP challenger and Sunwest Bank CEO Eric Hovde and Republican groups—including a super PAC linked to his brother—have made no fewer than eight ads in a multimillion dollar campaign accusing Baldwin of a conflict of interest because her partner of six years, Maria Brisbane, is a financial adviser for high-end clients. Baldwin has denied this claim, which has been baseless so far.
“I think he is,” Baldwin told CNN when asked whether she believed Hovde is trying to remind voters that she’s lesbian, a claim Hovde has denied.
The GOP ads focused on Baldwin’s relationship have emphasized that Brisbane is Baldwin’s “girlfriend” and have demanded that the senator disclose her partner’s assets—something required only for spouses under Senate rules, and not for girlfriends or boyfriends. Hovde has at least $195 million in assets, according to public records.