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Wisconsin US Senate race appears headed for recount
Baldwin, a two-term incumbent, declared victory early Wednesday over Hovde, a multimillionaire businessman. The AP has not declared a winner.
MADISON, Wisconsin — Wisconsin’s hotly contested race for U.S. Senate between Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Republican Eric Hovde, who was backed by President-elect Donald Trump, appeared to be close enough early Wednesday for a recount to be requested.
Baldwin, a two-term incumbent, declared victory early Wednesday over Hovde, a multimillionaire businessman who poured millions of his own money into the campaign. The Associated Press has not called the race.
Baldwin declared victory after the tally of absentee ballots from Milwaukee was reported around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday. Baldwin had a lead of 0.9% based on the unofficial results, just within the 1% margin that would allow for Hovde to request a recount if he pays for it.
“The people of Wisconsin have chosen someone who always puts Wisconsin first, someone who shows up, listens, and works with everyone to get the job done,” Baldwin said in a statement. “And they rejected the billionaires and the special interests who want to come to our state, spread hate and division, and buy their way into power.”
On Tuesday night, Hovde blamed the tight race on America First candidate Thomas Leager, a far-right candidate who was propped up by Democratic operatives and donors to run as a conservative.
“We’re watching the final precinct results come in. We’re certainly disappointed that the Democrats’ effort to siphon votes with a fraudulent candidate had a significant impact on the race, with those votes making up more than the entire margin of the race right now,” said Hovde in a statement released Wednesday morning. “We will continue to monitor returns and make sure that every vote is counted.”
Leager ran a distant fourth, but got more votes than the margin between Baldwin and Hovde.
Baldwin ran ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost Wisconsin to Republican Donald Trump by less than a percentage point. That marks the fifth time in the past seven presidential elections that a presidential election in Wisconsin has been decided by less than a point.
A Baldwin win would come despite Republicans seizing control of the U.S. Senate by flipping Democratic-held seats in Ohio and West Virginia.
Democrats were hoping for a Baldwin win to prevent Republicans from holding both of Wisconsin’s Senate seats.
Although Baldwin’s voting record is liberal, she emphasized bipartisanship throughout her campaign. She became the first statewide Democratic candidate in more than 20 years to win an endorsement from the Wisconsin Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization.
Hovde tried to portray Baldwin as an out-of-touch liberal career politician who hadn’t done enough to combat inflation, illegal immigration and crime.
Baldwin won her first Senate race in 2012, against popular former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson, by almost 6 percentage points. Hovde lost to Thompson in that year’s primary. Baldwin won reelection in 2018 by nearly 11 points.
According to the Kandiyohi Sheriff, Flatten resigned from his position as a deputy on Oct 7.
KANDIYOHI COUNTY, Minn. — Editor’s Note: The above video first aired on 8/12/2024.
A former Kandiyohi County Deputy has pleaded guilty to driving under the influence when he crashed his squad car back in July.
According to his plea deal, 39-year-old Christopher Flatten was sentenced to 90 days in jail, 90 days stay of execution of two years and he will pay a fine of $300.
According to the Kandiyohi Sheriff, Flatten resigned from his position as a deputy on Oct 7.
Prosecutors had said law enforcement was dispatched to a rural area on County Road 4 just before 6:30 p.m. on July 18. A 911 caller told dispatchers that a squad SUV had rolled several times, was sitting in a field, and that the uniformed deputy inside was unresponsive.
Two Minnesota State Troopers arrived on the scene and found the 2018 Explorer heavily damaged and resting on its side. They extricated the driver, soon identified as Deputy Flatten before he was airlifted for medical treatment.
A witness told investigators that he was driving in a semi and headed eastbound on U.S. Highway 12 when he saw a squad vehicle turn onto the highway without stopping at a stop sign. The trucker followed the squad down Highway 12, noting that the vehicle was “all over the road,” at times being over the center line by as much as three-quarters of the Explorer and then swerving onto the grass of the shoulder. This reportedly continued until the squad turned southbound on Kandiyohi County Road 4.
A second witness who was traveling towards County Road 4 told troopers he saw the squad leave the road and hit the ditch, rolling the vehicle five or six times.
Based on their descriptions of what happened, one of the state troopers obtained a search warrant for a sample of Flatten’s blood. Investigators went to the medical facility where the deputy was being treated and told him that refusing to provide a blood or urine sample was a crime. According to the complaint, Flatten refused to provide a sample and would not provide a statement about what happened. While speaking with Flatten troopers noted that he smelled of alcohol, his eyes were bloodshot and glassy and his speech was slurred.
MNRD skater Val Kyrie (Valkyrie) and Axel and Jessica Roddy from the Minnesota Frostbite joined KARE 11 News at Noon to discuss the new season.
ST PAUL, Minn. — This weekend kicks off a new Minnesota Roller Derby (MNRD) season and some younger teams are getting involved.
Minnesota Frostbite Junior League is training up-and-coming skaters.
This is MNRD’s 21st season.
The MNRD season opening bout takes place at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9 at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium. Tickets can be purchased online at mnrollerderby.com or at the door.
MNRD skater Val Kyrie (Valkyrie) and Axel and Jessica Roddy from the Minnesota Frostbite joined KARE 11 News at Noon to discuss the new season.
Bobby Anderson, a nurse practitioner with the Mayo Clinic, joined KARE 11 News at Noon to discuss the importance of lung cancer screening.
ROCHESTER, Minn. — November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness and keep lungs healthy.
Lung cancer is the 3rd-most commonly diagnosed cancer and is the most fatal of all cancers.
Screening is completed via an annual low-radiation dose chest CT scan that looks for suspicious lung spots.
Bobby Anderson, a nurse practitioner with the Mayo Clinic, joined KARE 11 News at Noon to discuss the importance of lung cancer screening.
