GOP Senate candidates’ 'new line of attack' makes this swing state race 'personal': report

Incumbent Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) "was leading" over GOP candidate Eric Hovde in August, but the Trump-backed Republican has since issued "a new line of attack," CNN reported Sunday.

Per the report, less than two weeks until the election, "Republicans have put a spotlight on Baldwin’s same-sex relationship and the career of her partner. And Baldwin, who became the first out gay senator when elected in 2012, has been on the defensive."

While Hovde, a multi-millionaire businessman, denies taking aim at his opponent's personal life, CNN reports that "since August, Hovde and GOP groups – including a super PAC linked to his brother – have cut no fewer than eight ads in a multimillion dollar campaign accusing Baldwin of a conflict of interest because her partner of six years, Maria Brisbane, is a financial adviser for high-end clients, a charge lacking proof and one Baldwin strongly denies."

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The news outlet notes "the GOP ads focused on Baldwin’s relationship often stress that Brisbane is Baldwin’s 'girlfriend' and demand that the senator disclose her partner’s assets, something required only for spouses under Senate rules — not for girlfriends or boyfriends."

CNN reports:

The race has featured fierce debate between the two candidates over a range of hot-button issues, including abortion rights, immigration and the economy. But with the divided electorate here polarized in the Trump era, Hovde has leaned heavily on the culture wars in his closing argument, attacking Baldwin over transgender policies and homing in on the senator’s partner’s work in an effort to bring GOP voters and right-leaning independents into the fold.

"The one that you’re in is always the hardest race," Baldwin told the news outlet. "And it’s a very divisive time. I don’t see as many ticket-splitters as I’ve seen in the past. I certainly am hoping for some, but I think it is a different type of race."

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CNN's full report is available here.