Wisconsin Democrat Tammy Baldwin wins her third term in the U.S. Senate

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin won a third term, giving Democrats a victory in the swing state that President-elect Donald Trump won on Tuesday.

Baldwin defeated Republican challenger Eric Hovde, a Trump-backed bank owner and real estate investor. Hovde didn't concede the race, he was within the 1 percentage point margin that would allow him to request a recount based on unofficial results.

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“The voters have spoken and our campaign has won,” Baldwin said after The Associated Press called the race. “The people of Wisconsin have chosen someone who will always put Wisconsin first, someone who will show up, listen and work with everyone to get the job done.”

Baldwin declared victory earlier Wednesday after the tally of mail-in votes from Milwaukee was announced. Based on the unofficial results, she had a 0.9% lead, just within the 1% margin that would allow Hovde to request a recount if he paid for it.

In a statement before the AP called the race, Hovde neither acknowledged nor said whether he would request a recount.

“We are watching the final district results come in,” he said. “We are certainly disappointed that Democrats’ attempt to siphon votes with a fraudulent candidate has had a significant impact on the race, as those votes currently represent more than the entire margin of the race.”

The “fraudulent candidate” Hovde was referring to is Thomas Leager of the America First Party. Leager, a far-right candidate who was recruited by Democratic activists and donors to run as a conservative, came a distant fourth but received more votes than the gap between Baldwin and Hovde.

“It would be unfortunate if the Democrats had not put a plan in place, this probably would have been decided some time ago,” Hovde told his supporters before sending them home. “But you know what? It is what it is.”

Baldwin was ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost Wisconsin to Trump by less than one percentage point. This is the fifth time in the past seven presidential elections that a presidential election in Wisconsin has been decided by less than one point.

Baldwin's victory comes even though Republicans took control of the U.S. Senate by flipping Democratic seats in Ohio and West Virginia.

Democrats were hoping for a Baldwin win to prevent Republicans from taking both Wisconsin Senate seats.

Although Baldwin's voting record is liberal, she emphasized bipartisanship throughout her campaign. She was the first statewide Democratic candidate in more than 20 years to receive an endorsement from the Wisconsin Farm Bureau, the state's largest agricultural organization.

Hovde tried to portray Baldwin as an unworldly 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 nearly six percentage points. Hovde lost to Thompson in this year's primary. Baldwin won re-election in 2018 by nearly 11 points.