Sen Tammy Baldwin hits back at GOP opponent’s Clinton comparison: ‘Actually called you deplorable’

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., is responding to her opponent, Republican businessman Eric Hovde, after he compared her comments on former President Trump voters to those of former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. 

“Do you know who actually called you deplorable? This guy, Eric Hovde,” a new digital ad from Baldwin’s campaign said.

The ad featured Hovde’s own remarks from an interview on “The Jerry Bader Show” in 2016.

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Baldwin responded with her own ad after Hovde’s campaign likened her comments to those of Hillary Clinton. (Reuters)

The now-Republican candidate used the word “deplorable” to describe the level of civic knowledge among average Americans, with many not knowing the year of the country’s founding or who the vice president is. 

“Most of the country, sadly, doesn’t know what the heck is going on,” he said at the time. “They can’t even tell you when our country was founded, who the vice president [sic], how many senators there are. It’s just deplorable how low people are keeping themselves informed.”

Hovde added, “I like to say, sadly, with females, they spend too much time with what’s going on in Hollywood. And with males, they engross themselves too much with sports. And now it’s not just sports, it’s fantasy sports.”

The new Baldwin ad criticized the past remarks, asking, “Too much sports?”

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Hovde and Baldwin are facing off for a competitive Wisconsin Senate seat.  (Reuters)

“Eric Hovde really doesn’t know Wisconsin. Too much time in California,” it continued. 

Baldwin’s latest ad is part of a multi-million dollar advertising campaign.

Hovde’s campaign did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication.

The ad comes after Hovde’s campaign unveiled its own spot on television this week, putting Baldwin’s past comments on Trump voters side by side with Clinton’s infamous “basket of deplorables” remark, which was credited by many for securing her election loss to Trump in 2016. 

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Hovde compared Baldwin’s remark to that of Hillary Clinton’s, calling Trump voters ‘deplorables.’ (Reuters)

“Donald Trump might be one of the most offensive, hateful and unacceptable presidential candidates we’ve ever had. So what does that say about the people who support him?” Baldwin said in the ad, which was from a 2016 speech she made. 

Baldwin has tried to appeal to Republicans and Trump supporters during her current campaign, featuring the former president in her ads throughout some of the cycle. 

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Election Day is less than two weeks away. (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

Wisconsin is a presidential battleground state and considered a toss up in the election. As split-ticket voting becomes increasingly rare, it’s likely that the party that wins the presidency also wins the Senate races in several key states, including Wisconsin. 

Baldwin beat Hovde by just one point in a new Quinnipiac University poll, 49% to 48%. 

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The poll was conducted between Oct. 18 and 21 and interviewed 1,108 likely voters in Wisconsin. The margin of error was +/- 2.9 percentage points.

The race is considered a “Toss Up” by top political handicapper the Cook Political Report. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.