Not since Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Presidential campaign has there been such a focus in an election cycle on women. And the first launch of the Harris presidential campaign focused on that issue this week. Presidential candidate Kamala (Comma-lah) Harris launched her campaign on Tuesday in Wisconsin, a crucial battleground state, with a strong introduction and endorsement from two-term Sen. Tammy Baldwin. Historic in that it was the first introduction at the first campaign event in America for the new Presidential candidate. It likely was a demonstration of support from Harris of the LGBTQ community. Addressing a packed high school gym in West Allis, out Senator Baldwin declared, “I am so proud to support Kamala Harris for President of the United States!” The rally came shortly after President Joe Biden’s surprise announcement that he would not seek a second term, endorsing Harris as his successor. Baldwin and Harris both underscored the critical role Wisconsin will play in the upcoming election. Baldwin is running for a third term in the Senate against Trump-endorsed MAGA candidate Eric Hovde, a multi-millionaire who first sought the seat in 2012 but lost in the primary to former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson. Hovde considered a second run against Baldwin in 2018 but decided against it; the same happened for a potential run against Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers in 2022. Now Hovde has an endorsement from Trump. Being “totally opposed” to abortion, he desires to repeal the Affordable Care Act and supports banning trans athletes from sports. Since his initial Senate campaign, the far-right Republican has grown a statement-making mustache and taken up part-time residence in Orange County, California, where he owns and runs Sunwest Bank. This has opened him to carpetbagging accusations from Baldwin.
