MADISON – Wisconsin U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde is not yet conceding to incumbent Tammy Baldwin, despite the latter’s declaration of victory.
“We’re watching the final precinct results come in. We’re certainly disappointed that the Democrats’ effort to siphon votes with a fraudulent candidate had a significant impact on the race, with those votes making up more than the entire margin of the race right now. We will continue to monitor returns and make sure that every vote is counted.” said Hovde in a statement Wednesday morning.
RELATED: Baldwin declares victory in Senate Race
The Associated Press reported the “fraudulent candidate” Hovde referred to is Thomas Leager of the America First Party. Leager and Libertarian Phil Anderson and have earned roughly 70,000 votes with just under 100 percent of the votes tabulated.
As of 12:15 Wednesday afternoon, Baldwin had earned 49.4% of the vote while Hovde sat at 48.5%. Wisconsin law states if a race is within one percent or less, a recount can be requested. The deadline for completion is within 13 days of the order for the recount.
Assuming the margin is greater than 0.25% of the total vote, Hovde would be responsible for paying the recount cost. As of Election Day, the Republican entrepreneur had contributed 20 million dollars in personal loans to his campaign.
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