Republicans are spending millions of dollars advertising in Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate race

U.S. ELECTION: Republicans are spending millions of dollars on advertising in the Wisconsin Senate race, which is becoming more competitive according to surveys.

According to data from AdImpact, the Associated Press reported that Democrats had invested $93 million more in Senator Tammy Baldwin’s campaign than her Republican opponent, Eric Hovde, so far.

In the last weeks leading up to the Wisconsin Senate election, Republicans will be spending more on commercials. In the Badger State, the Republicans have booked $21 million of slots between October 14 and November 5, while Democrats have reserved $15 million.

Baldwin’s Senate seat might be flipped by Hovde, which would be very beneficial for the GOP’s efforts to take back control of the upper house.

With four independent senators who join the party or caucus, the Democrats now have a 51-49 seat majority in the Senate. Republicans are predicted to gain at least 50 seats if they succeed in flipping the West Virginia seat now held by retiring independent Senator Joe Manchin.

Barring surprises elsewhere, the GOP is expected to gain 51-49 total control of the Senate starting in January 2025 if Hovde wins in Wisconsin as well.

But Baldwin is still the frontrunner to be reelected in November.

Baldwin was leading Hovde by 4 points (50 percent to 46 percent) in a recent Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey of 1,000 potential Wisconsin voters, which was conducted from October 5 to October 8. There is a three percentage point error margin around the findings.

Nevertheless, on October 8, the renowned pollster Cook Political Report changed the election between Baldwin and Hovde from a “lean Democrat” to a tossup.

Hovde has been closing the gap on the incumbent in the last several weeks of the contest at the same time. As of September 14, the Decision Desk HQ/The Hill polling average saw Baldwin leading the Republican by 7 points (50 percent of 43 percent). As of October 14, this has shrunk to a 4-point advantage (49 percent to 45 percent).

“We had no doubt that the race would become more competitive,” Baldwin told the Associated Press. “I’ve been working tirelessly every day to unite Wisconsinites behind my campaign because of this. We have the message, the power, and the momentum to prevail next month; I’m sure of it.”

Politico was able to secure an internal National Republican Senatorial Committee survey that showed Hovde topping Baldwin by one point in a head-to-head match and tied with Baldwin at 46 percent on a complete ballot that included third-party candidates.

“This is the first time we have seen Hovde with the lead in our internal polling,” the executive director of the committee, Jason Thielman, shared the data in a memo.

“I have the momentum,” Hovde recently said at a Milwaukee event. “I want to win this competition. I’ll prevail in this race because I’ll maintain my attention on the important things.”

According to Republican strategist Alec Zimmerman, Hovde can win over people more readily on important topics like immigration and the economy, while Baldwin is up against her most difficult campaign to date.

Zimmerman told the AP, “Wisconsin’s always been on a knife’s edge.” “Here, 50/50 elections are the norm, but she’s always been the exception. This is a return to that idea, as you can see.”

Baldwin increased her margin of victory to 11 points in 2018 after winning by 6 points in the 2012 Senate race.

By contrast, in Wisconsin, a crucial swing state, the outcome of four out of the last six presidential contests has been determined by a margin of less than one point.