Eric Hovde, the Republican businessman running for U.S. Senate, challenged his rival, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), with a cold plunge in the Wisconsin lake in an effort to put the carpetbagger accusations to bed.
The multimillionaire posted a video to X on Thursday showing him shirtless as he plunged through a thick layer of ice reportedly outside his home on Lake Mendota.
“Warning… the video contains graphic images of a Wisconsin man in a cold lake. Not safe for Californians and career politicians,” Hovde captioned the video.
“So the Dems and Sen. Baldwin keep saying I’m not from Wisconsin, which is a complete joke,” Hovde said, laughing into the camera as he sat in the frozen water. “All right, Sen. Baldwin, why don’t you get out here in this frozen lake and let’s really see who’s from Wisconsin.”
Hovde’s comments are in response to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, which has slammed him over his residency and criticized his wealthy status, calling his Senate bid “a self-serving agenda.”
Hovde, who announced he was running to unseat Baldwin last month, said he splits his time between California and Wisconsin. The businessman was born in Wisconsin, calling himself a “third generation Wisconsinite” who grew up in the Dairy State, but is also the CEO of Sunwest Bank in California where he owns a $7 million estate in Laguna Beach.
“If California bank owner Eric Hovde thinks sitting in a lake is going to stop us from telling Wisconsinites about his California bank, California megamansion, and California ties, he’s going to be swimming a whole lot for the next eight months,” said Arik Wolk, the state’s Democratic Party spokesman, in a statement.
Baldwin responded “No” with a heart emoji to Hovde’s challenge on X.
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To hold on to their majority in the Senate, reelecting Baldwin is a main priority for Democrats. Hovde was a sight for sore eyes for Republicans who were looking for a GOP candidate to take on the vulnerable Democratic incumbent in a crucial battleground state.
“Everything is going in the wrong direction. All Washington does is divide us and talk about who’s to blame, and nothing gets done. That’s not the country I know and love,” Hovde said in a video announcing his bid. “I believe we need to come together and find commonsense solutions to restore America.”
