Madison businessman Eric Hovde plans to enter the race for U.S. Senate, challenging Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin for her current seat, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. He will formally launch his bid next week.
The move marks Hovde’s second campaign for the seat after he lost to former Gov. Tommy Thompson in the Republican primary over 10 years ago, the same year Baldwin, of Madison, was first elected.
Hovde will need to secure the GOP nomination in the Aug. 9 primary. Trempealeau County Board Supervisor Stacey Klein and UW–Stevens Point College Republicans Chair Rejani Raveendran have also announced they are running for the seat. The primary winner will face Baldwin, seeking her third term, in November.
Hovde, 59, is the CEO of Hovde Properties, a real estate development company, as well as CEO and chairman of H Bancorp and Sunwest Bank. He and his brother created the Hovde Foundation in 1998, which provides aid to disadvantaged children.
