Republican U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde downplayed the environmental impacts of climate change on Wisconsin and said abortion policy should be decided by a statewide referendum at an event hosted by College Republicans of University of Wisconsin-Madison Tuesday.
The College Republicans of UW-Madison and the American Conservation Coalition, a conservative environmental group, hosted the event to rally support for Hovde’s campaign in the final week before the Nov. 5 election.
Hovde referred to climate change as the planet’s natural “warming and cooling,” citing Wisconsin’s lakes and their connection to the Ice Age.
“Our state was once covered with glaciers — and by the way 14,000 years ago, there were glaciers as high as our Capitol dome — and then guess what, the glaciers went away. And then guess what, the glaciers came back. And guess what, the glaciers went away. In the history of the Earth, the Earth has always been warming and cooling,” Hovde said.
Hovde also clarified his stance “doesn’t mean we don’t have to care for our environment,” referring to himself as a “conservationist.”
“I used to call myself an environmentalist, but I got so embarrassed by the environmental movement and all the stupid things that they pushed that were not environmentally friendly that I no longer call myself that. I call myself a conservationist,” Hovde said.
Additionally, Hovde downplayed the severity of climate change and Democrats’ concerns about environmental issues.
“Look, do I think mankind is changing and has an influence on the environment? Absolutely. Do I think it's the profound, catastrophic warnings that Al Gore said, ‘the seas would have already risen and the planet would be melting down,’ I think by now, for AOC, ‘the Earth would come to an end in 2026?’ No, of course not,” Hovde said.
During the Q&A portion of the event, a student told Hovde she “broke down and cried” when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022 and asked him to explain his position.
Hovde said the issue should be decided in a referendum, and he believes in exceptions for rape, incest and the health of the mother. Hovde also said women “should have a right to make a decision early on in their pregnancy.”
“Where I fundamentally disagree is that when a baby can be born healthy and alive, then that's unconscionable that you terminate that child's life. But again, it's not for politicians in D.C.,” Hovde said.
Incumbent U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin has repeatedly criticized Hovde for comments he made during his 2012 Senate run, where he said he was in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade as abortion remains a contentious issue in this election.
In Wisconsin, abortion rights have been a critical issue for voters in recent years. In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending a constitutionally protected right to abortion access. The ruling caused an 1849 Wisconsin law to go back into effect, banning all abortions in the state with no exception for rape or incest.
Abortion services later resumed in the state in September 2023 following a Dane County Circuit Court judge’s ruling that the 1849 law applies only to feticide, not consensual abortions.
Hovde also defended former President Donald Trump’s recent Madison Square Garden rally, refuting claims the event resembled a “Nazi rally.”
“I watched a little bit of the events at Madison Square Garden, and I saw an enormous amount of Jewish people there waving the Israeli flag, people of all different races, all different colors, talking, singing, everything, and that's a Nazi rally? Are you kidding me?” Hovde said.
Hovde did not address the source of the controversy — a series of vulgar and racist remarks made by speakers at the rally, like comedian Tony Hinchcliffe calling Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” Instead, Hovde said it’s important to “lower the temperature in the country.”
Joining Hovde for brief remarks, South Dakota Sen. John Thune called Hovde’s race a “make or break moment for the country.”
“The path to a Senate majority — Republican majority in the United States Senate — goes through Wisconsin and Eric Hovde. I'm hoping that you will do everything you possibly can to get out in the last week of this campaign, to make sure that you're getting voters out for him,” Thune said.
Baldwin and Hovde will face off for the U.S. Senate seat on Nov. 5. Voters can find their polling place by visiting the MyVote Wisconsin website.
Nick Bumgardner is a senior staff writer at The Daily Cardinal covering state news and politics. You can follow him on Twitter at @nickbum_.
