Eric Hovde still mulling U.S. Senate race.
He may not yet be a candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate but that didn’t stop Eric Hovde from unveiling a stump-style speech Saturday night in Madison.
Addressing Dane County Republicans, the Madison businessman discussed his family’s roots in Norway and Wisconsin, quoted from an article that extolled 1950s-style values and lamented:
“Folks, our culture is in trouble, and I mean serious trouble. I like to say the left has won the cultural wars that started in the late ‘60’s, and the American people have lost. “
In 2012, Hovde finished second to former Gov. Tommy Thompson in the Republican race for U.S. Senate. Thompson lost in the general election to Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
For months, Hovde has teased out a potential candidacy and reportedly has looked to hire staff.
His appearance Saturday night at a high-profile event fueled speculation of a run.
“I don’t have an announcement to make tonight, I am trying to decide whether I’m going to jump into this race,” Hovde told the audience, according to a recording provided to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“I know what it all entails, what it does to my businesses and my family, so I am in that contemplating process,” he added. “But I am concerned about our country.”
Delafield businessman Kevin Nicholson and state Sen. Leah Vukmir of Brookfield are the only announced Republicans in the race to take on Baldwin in November. They also spoke at the dinner.
The primary is Aug. 14.
In his speech, Hovde spoke of his family’s humble roots in Norway and later business success in the United States.
“It wasn’t because of the government and welfare,” Hovde said. “There was none. When I talk about how poor they were — they came off that farm with nothing. Clothes. A few bags. They were lucky to eat one meal a day. So how did they — how did they succeed in America? Hard work. A lot of hard work. Perseverance. Grit. A strong sense of ethics and morals.
“Most importantly, family, friends and faith. That’s how they succeeded.”
He said those principles are now under attack. And he quoted from a 2017 opinion piece that appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer by law professors Amy Wax of the University of Pennsylvania and Larry Alexander of the University of San Diego.
The essay ignited a storm of criticism. Wax and Alexander indicated the country was paying a price for “the breakdown of the country’s bourgeois culture,” and they declared:
“All cultures are not equal. Or at least they are not equal in preparing people to be productive in an advanced economy.”
Hovde zeroed in on what he called the heart of the article, that the culture “laid out the script we are all supposed to follow,” including getting married before having children, becoming educated, being patriotic, civic-minded and ready to serve the country.