Wisconsin’s swing-state status has driven the presidential candidates to visit the state often ahead of the Nov. 5, 2024, election — and it has driven Wisconsin Watch to fact-check many of the claims they’ve made here.

Our fact briefs, in partnership with Gigafact, centered on statements about Kamala Harris and Donald Trump over immigration, health care and the economy. 

Some of those claims hit the mark; many did not. 

Here’s a look at claims related to three of the top issues voters say they are focused on in this election.

(And be sure to share the video versions of our fact briefs from Wisconsin Watch’s Trisha Young.)

Economy

No, the U.S. is not producing more energy than it consumes for the first time since the 1950s because of Biden-Harris policies: That occurred in 2019, before Joe Biden and Harris took office. Increased production was “largely a result of increases in crude oil and natural gas production,” the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported.

Yes, Wisconsin housing prices increased nearly 30% during the Biden-Harris administration: The median price rose 26% from January 2021 to January 2024 — $210,000 to $265,000; and 28% from May 2021 to May 2024 — $246,832 to $315,500.

Yes, real wages increased under Trump more than any other modern president: Real wages — wages adjusted for inflation — increased 7% under Trump, the highest increase over one presidential term since the 1970s.

Immigration

No, Harris did not say she wants to let undocumented immigrants vote: She has campaigned supporting “an earned pathway to citizenship,” but hasn’t provided details. Federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections.

No, more terrorists have not entered the U.S. under Harris than in the previous 30 years: One expert told Congress that of the 230 foreign-born people accused of U.S. domestic terrorism from 1975 to 2023, nine entered illegally, including three as children.

No, the Biden-Harris administration did not let more than 400,000 people convicted of crimes enter the U.S.: New data cited by Trump count the number of noncitizens convicted of crimes who entered the U.S. over roughly 40 years, not only under Biden-Harris.

Yes, the Biden-Harris administration attempted to suspend some deportations upon taking office: The administration announced a 100-day suspension of the removal of certain undocumented immigrants on the day Biden was inaugurated. However, a judge blocked the “pause” days later.

No, 25 million undocumented immigrants did not enter the U.S. and stay during the Biden-Harris administration: U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 10 million migrant encounters — one person one or more times — from February 2021 through July 2024. However, millions were turned away, returned or deported.

No, illegal immigration did not drop 90% under Trump: Southwest border encounters decreased 43% in 2017, the first year Trump was in office. But they were higher in each of the next three years than in 2016, including 80% higher in 2019.

Health care

Yes, Harris supported taxpayer-funded gender-affirming surgery for inmates and detainees: She advocated for such policies as a 2020 presidential candidate and earlier, though has been vague in the 2024 campaign.

Yes, Harris supported providing government health care to undocumented immigrants: In her previous presidential run, she proposed Medicare for All to cover all Americans, including undocumented immigrants, in one government health plan.

No, Trump has not said he plans to force states to report miscarriages: The Project 2025 policy initiative, which Trump has distanced himself from, calls for the federal government to “ensure that every state reports exactly how many abortions take place” and “ensure that statistics are separated by category,” including spontaneous miscarriage.

No, Trump is not “threatening to slash Medicare”: He has repeatedly said during the 2024 campaign that he would not cut Medicare.

No, Trump does not want to criminalize women who get an abortion: Trump has said states should decide whether, in certain instances, to prosecute women who get an abortion.

The presidential candidates made a lot of claims in Wisconsin. Here are the facts. is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Next to the presidential race, the biggest Nov. 5 election in Wisconsin is for the U.S. Senate, and Wisconsin Watch is following it closely.

We’ve published fact briefs on more than 20 statements made by and about the incumbent, Democrat Tammy Baldwin, and her Republican challenger, Eric Hovde.

The pair square off for their only scheduled debate Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. — a high-stakes event as some polls and analysts suggest the race is tightening.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report last week shifted the race from “Leans Democratic” to “toss up” for the first time this cycle.

A recent Cook Political Report poll found Baldwin ahead by two points, and internal polling from both campaigns reflects that number. However, a recent poll from Marquette Law School, the gold standard in Wisconsin, found Baldwin leading 53% to 46%.

“This tightening, as Hovde has further consolidated Republicans behind him and brought independents over to his side, is largely predictable,” wrote Jessica Taylor, who tracks U.S. Senate races for Cook. “Wisconsin is one of the most evenly divided states in the country, and the 2022 Senate race was decided by one point.”

She noted that Baldwin still leads among independent voters, though there has been movement toward Hovde among the bloc — a group of fickle voters who in 2022 reelected both Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

Here’s what we’ve found in our fact-checking.

Claims about Baldwin

Transgender attack: No, Baldwin did not fund a transgender clinic for youths.

Baldwin directed $400,000 in 2024 federal spending to Briarpatch Youth Services, a Madison, Wisconsin-area nonprofit that provides counseling, shelter and other services to runaway and homeless youths. It is not a transgender clinic, but has a program that supports “queer youth ages 13-18.” 

Hovde alluded to the earmark in claiming that Baldwin “gave all of our money to a transgender clinic … that does this without notifying parents.” 

Legalizing immigrants: Yes, Baldwin supported offering legal status to 11 million undocumented immigrants.

Baldwin cosponsored a 2021 bill, which did not become law, that would have offered legal status — under certain conditions — to an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants, by Baldwin’s own estimate.

The dark-money group One Nation branded Baldwin’s cosponsorship as blanket amnesty, an imprecise immigration term. 

Backing Biden: Yes, Baldwin voted with President Joe Biden’s agenda 95% of the time.

That’s per a brief we published in May 2023 on a statement made by Wisconsin Republican Party chair Brian Schimming. The analysis was by the news website FiveThirtyEight.

Most liberal: Yes, Baldwin is rated one of the most liberal members of the Senate.

That was according to an April 2023 check we did of a social media post. Several ratings, including one by FiveThirtyEight, put Baldwin in that category.

Abortion funding: Yes, Baldwin proposed to spend $25 million to train abortion providers.

Baldwin made that legislative proposal in 2023, as we found in checking a social media post. No votes have been taken on the bill.

Legislative record: Yes, Baldwin authored legislation as a U.S. senator.

Baldwin has introduced hundreds of bills, despite Hovde’s claim to the contrary.

Claims about Hovde

On farmers: No, Hovde did not say that farmers don’t work hard.

A Baldwin TV ad mischaracterized what Hovde said in a 2012 interview when he described historical changes in U.S. occupations.

“We don’t engage in hard labor like we did, we don’t have as many accidents on the job, most of us now are involved in some type of white-collar profession, or even professions that are involved with manual labor,” Hovde said. “It’s much safer, much more protective. Think of farming. Look at the old physical toil that it would take on your body, now you’re largely driving around on a tractor.”

On seniors voting: No, Hovde did not say most senior citizens shouldn’t vote.

The claim was made in a TV ad by WinSenate, a liberal super PAC.

Hovde described in an April interview what he claimed were voting irregularities involving Wisconsin nursing home residents in the 2020 presidential election. A partisan investigation produced no evidence of malicious intent behind a few cases of mentally incompetent people voting. Hovde said: “If you’re in a nursing home, you only have five, six months’ life expectancy. Almost nobody in a nursing home is in a point to vote.”

On single parents: Yes, Hovde said single parenthood leads to poverty and drug addiction.

Baldwin made that claim in a TV ad. During his 2012 run for the U.S. Senate, Hovde lamented the number of children “born out of wedlock,” saying it is “a direct path to a life of poverty. There’s been numerous studies that show that it leads to higher drug rates.”

Not 100% anti-choice: No, Hovde is not “100% anti-choice” on abortion.

Hovde said in 2012 he was totally opposed to abortion rights, but has changed his position, contradicting a claim that Baldwin made in an interview.

Hovde said in February he supports exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. In April, he said that “women, early on in a pregnancy, should have a right to make a choice.” And he said that Wisconsin voters should decide when in a pregnancy abortion should be illegal.

‘Deplorable’ mischaracterized: No, Hovde did not once call most Americans deplorable.

In a 2016 interview, Hovde said it’s “deplorable” how poorly most Americans are informed.

The Wisconsin Democratic Party mischaracterized what Hovde said.

Other statements

Wages under Trump 

Yes, real wages increased under President Donald Trump more than any other modern president, as Hovde accurately stated.

Federal spending

Yes, as Hovde said, federal spending is 50% higher than pre-COVID levels.

Yes, the federal government is spending more on debt payments than defense in 2024, as Hovde said.

Fentanyl

Yes, as Baldwin said, 90% of illegal fentanyl confiscated in the U.S. is seized at legal ports of entry.

No, fentanyl does not kill more than 100,000 Americans every year, contradicting a claim made by Hovde.

Reproductive health

Yes, most abortions in the U.S. are done with medications, as Hovde claimed.

Yes, about 90% of Americans support access to contraception, as Baldwin correctly claimed.

Hamas hostages

A Wisconsin Democratic Party resolution calling for an unconditional cease-fire in Gaza did not address hostages held by Hamas, as Hovde correctly claimed.

COVID-19 spending

Yes, Madison, Wisconsin, allocated $700,000 in federal COVID-19 funds for services for undocumented immigrants, as Hovde correctly stated.

Same-sex marriage
Yes, polls have shown 70% of Americans believe same-sex marriage should be legal, as Baldwin said.

Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters for original stories and our Friday news roundup.

Fact-checking Tammy Baldwin and Eric Hovde ahead of their U.S. Senate debate is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

On Sept. 24, 2022, Wisconsin Watch published its first fact brief. It marked a new partnership with Gigafact, a nonprofit network of nonpartisan local, regional and expert newsrooms that fact-check and verify influential claims circulating online.

In the two years since, our more than 500 fact briefs stand out from other fact-checking efforts. We tackle questions that can be answered yes or no, and each brief is limited to 150 words.

Politicians and other news outlets have pointed to our fact briefs as an authoritative check on misinformation being injected into the public discourse. Online readership has spiked for relevant fact briefs during this summer’s political conventions and two presidential debates.

Bill Adair, founder of PolitiFact and author of “Beyond the Big Lie,” has spoken highly of Gigafact.

“In the years that we’ve been studying the rise of misinformation, we’ve realized there simply aren’t enough fact-checks to counter all the falsehoods,” Adair said. “Gigafact is addressing this head-on with a wonderfully simple approach that should yield a dramatic increase in fact checks.”

At Wisconsin Watch, we can report that Adair’s prediction turned out to be true. Fact briefs have been some of the most widely read articles that Wisconsin Watch has produced.

Here in reverse order is a countdown of our top 10 most read fact briefs.

10. No, Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Janet Protasiewicz as a Milwaukee County judge did not release Darrell Brooks on bail before his deadly Waukesha Christmas Parade attack.

Milwaukee County Court Commissioner Cedric Cornwall approved Brooks’ release on $1,000 bail on Nov. 5, 2021.

On Nov. 21, 2021, Brooks drove a Ford Escape through the parade. The attack left six people dead and injured more than 60.

The claim about Protasiewicz was made during the campaign leading up to her election to the Supreme Court in April 2023. 

9. No, Wisconsin’s constitution does not “clearly” say the Wisconsin Supreme Court chief justice administers the Supreme Court.

Wisconsin’s constitution says: “The chief justice of the Supreme Court shall be the administrative head of the judicial system and shall exercise this administrative authority,” but adds “pursuant to procedures adopted by the Supreme Court.”

8. Yes, you can collect unemployment in Wisconsin if you get fired.

It depends on the circumstances. Employees may not receive unemployment benefits if they get fired for “violating reasonable requirements of the employer.”

7. No, a law Tim Walz signed does not allow a child to be taken away from parents who don’t consent to “sex changes.”

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance of Ohio made the claim while campaigning in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Walz, the Minnesota governor and 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate, signed legislation allowing Minnesota courts to take temporary jurisdiction in a child custody dispute between parents in another state if one wants a child to obtain “gender-affirming care” in Minnesota.

The law does not change when the state can take custody away from parents or enable the state to take away custody in connection with such care.

6. No, “just about every law enforcement agency in the country” had not endorsed Donald Trump for president in early 2024.

Former President Donald Trump made the claim in an April 2024 Milwaukee radio interview.

As of early that month, few law enforcement organizations had announced endorsements in the 2024 presidential election.

Police unions — not law enforcement agencies such as police or sheriff’s departments — endorse candidates.

In early September, the Fraternal Order of Police, the country’s largest lobbying organization representing more than 350,000 law enforcement officers, endorsed Trump. In response, about 100 law enforcement officials endorsed Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.

5. Yes, Donald Trump suggested rules in the U.S. Constitution could be terminated in response to election fraud. 

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie made the claim during a 2023 Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee, drawing attention to Trump’s false claim.

Trump said in a 2022 social media post: “A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution. Our great ‘Founders’ did not want, and would not condone, False & Fraudulent Elections!”

4. Yes, individuals under age 21 can legally drink alcohol in a bar in Wisconsin if they are with a parent.

Wisconsin’s legal drinking age is 21, but people under 21 can legally drink alcoholic beverages in establishments such as taverns and restaurants if they are with their parents, guardians or spouses of legal drinking age.

However, establishments can refuse to serve underage people.

3. No, Tim Walz didn’t sign legislation requiring female hygiene products to be installed in boys’ bathrooms.

Walz signed a Minnesota law requiring public schools to provide free menstrual products to “all menstruating students in restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4 to 12 according to a plan developed by the school district.”

The Minnesota Education Department told Wisconsin Watch: “Each school district should have its own plan to comply with the legislation. (The department) has not directed schools to provide these products in boys’ bathrooms.” Some schools have stocked them in unisex bathrooms instead.

2. No, the U.S. has not “lost” seven embassies during Joe Biden’s presidency, the most under any president.

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., made the claim about embassies, the official headquarters for U.S. diplomats and government representatives serving in foreign countries, at the 2024 Wisconsin Republican Party convention.

Under Biden, three U.S. embassies — in Afghanistan, Belarus and Sudan — suspended and have not resumed operations, each following unrest in those countries.

1. Yes, the U.S. debt increased by $7.8 trillion during Trump’s presidency

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made the attack in an interview with the conservative Wisconsin Right Now website as he was competing with Trump and others for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. 

The federal debt was $27.8 trillion when Trump left office, $7.8 trillion higher than when he entered.

The debt — borrowing done when the government spends more than it takes in — is a result of decisions made by a president and Congress during a president’s term, but also by decisions made by previous presidents and Congresses.

Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters for original stories and our Friday news roundup.

After two years of fact checking, here are our top 10 most read briefs is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Claims about inflation, immigration, abortion and more are likely to be made in tonight’s presidential debate between the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, and the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump.

You can watch the debate live on ABC, ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu at 8 p.m. CDT.

To help sort fact from fiction while watching, here’s a look at 12 of the latest statements fact-checked by Wisconsin Watch that you might hear repeated.

Immigration

How many undocumented immigrants have entered the U.S. during the Biden-Harris administration?

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance claimed in De Pere that 25 million have entered — and stayed. There’s no evidence the number is that high.

Did illegal immigration drop 90% under Trump?

No. That claim by Green Bay-area GOP congressional candidate Tony Wied was wrong.

Southwest border encounters decreased 43% in 2017, the first year Trump was in office. But they were higher in each of the next three years than in 2016, including 80% higher in 2019.

Were deportations under Donald Trump ‘the highest ever’?

No. The most deportations occurred under Democratic predecessors to Trump.

The most repatriations occurred during Bill Clinton’s second term, averaging 1.7 million annually from 1997 through 2000. Trump’s highest was 600,000 in 2020. The largest deportation type under Trump — removal — peaked at 347,280 in 2019. Removals were higher in six of Barack Obama’s eight years.

Inflation

Did inflation in the U.S. rise 40-50% under Biden-Harris?

No. Cumulative inflation since Trump left office in January 2021 through May 2024 was 20.1%. It did not increase more than twice that, as Trump claimed in Racine.

Have housing prices increased significantly since Biden became president?

Yes. Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s claim at a Trump rally was overstated. But in Wisconsin, the median price of a home increased 28% from May 2021 to May 2024 — $246,832 to $315,500.

Abortion

Do some states allow a newborn to be “executed” after birth?

No. Trump’s claim in La Crosse was false. Infanticide is a crime in every state.

Does Trump support tracking miscarriages?

No, Trump has not said that he backs forcing states to track miscarriages. Harris’ claim at the Democratic National Convention was wrong.

Medicare

Has Trump threatened to “slash” Medicare?

No. Trump has repeatedly said during the campaign that he would not cut Medicare. Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez’s statement at the DNC was wrong.

Other topics

Has Harris avoided interviews and news conferences since becoming the nominee?

Yes. Vance was correct when he said in Eau Claire that Harris hadn’t done one two weeks after being nominated. Harris and her running mate sat for an interview with CNN, but she hasn’t done a formal press conference in the more than 50 days since she became the presumptive nominee. 

Did the U.S. become the No. 1 producer of oil and natural gas during Trump’s presidency?

No. The claim at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee was overstated. The U.S. became the world’s largest oil producer under Trump, but the largest natural gas producer six years before he became president.

Was Harris once rated the most liberal U.S. senator?

Yes. In 2019, GovTrack.us rated Harris the most liberal senator. That supported a claim by Wisconsin GOP chair Brian Schimming.

Did Donald Trump pay millions of dollars to settle fraud lawsuits against his for-profit college?

Yes. Trump agreed after his 2016 election to pay $25 million, including $21 million to reimburse students, to settle three lawsuits alleging fraud by his for-profit Trump University. Trump did not admit to wrongdoing. Harris, at a rally in West Allis, claimed Trump had “scammed” students.

Check out all of our fact briefs.

Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters for original stories and our Friday news roundup.

Here are some claims you might hear during tonight’s presidential debate — and the facts is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

In fact-checking six statements made during the Democratic National Convention, we found that claims about women’s miscarriages, repealing the Affordable Care Act and “slashing” Medicare were not accurate, while claims about job gains, record levels of health insurance coverage and former President Donald Trump’s history as a landlord were on target. 

Here’s a rundown of those fact checks at the DNC, held Aug. 19-22, 2024, in Chicago.

No, Trump has not said he plans to force states to report miscarriages.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, said Trump “plans to create a national anti-abortion coordinator and force states to report on women’s miscarriages and abortions.”

The Project 2025 policy initiative, led by the conservative Heritage Foundation, calls for the federal Health and Human Services Department to “ensure that every state reports exactly how many abortions take place” and “ensure that statistics are separated by category,” including spontaneous miscarriage.

At least 140 people who worked in Trump’s administration contributed to the policy book, CNN reported.

Trump has distanced himself from Project 2025.

Yes, Trump was ordered as a result of a federal lawsuit not to discriminate in housing.

A settlement to a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit filed in 1973 against Trump over his New York City apartments, alleging he discriminated against Black people, required him not to discriminate in housing and to take steps such as advertising his apartment vacancies to minority residents. The department called the decree “one of the most far-reaching ever negotiated.”

No, Project 2025 does not call for repealing the Affordable Care Act

Campaigning in Milwaukee in connection with the convention, vice presidential nominee Tim Walz claimed it does. 

Project 2025 is a conservative policy plan. On the Affordable Care Act, it calls for changes such as separating the subsidized and unsubsidized health insurance markets, saying that would make coverage more affordable in the nonsubsidized market. Physicians for a National Health Program, which advocates for universal health care, says the change would eliminate certain patient protections.

Yes, 50 million of the 51 million net U.S. jobs created since 1989 were created during Democratic presidencies

Former President Bill Clinton’s claim about net jobs, taking into account gains and losses, was accurate. 

Reporting on the discrepancy between Democratic and Republican presidents, The Economist said: “Many things feed into growth trends that have only a scant connection to whoever is living in the White House — from the business cycle to tech innovations and Federal Reserve decisions to the global economy.”

Yes, record levels of Americans have been covered by health insurance during President Joe Biden’s administration

The U.S. Health and Human Services Department reported that the uninsured rate for U.S. residents reached an all-time low of 7.2% in the second quarter of 2023. The figure increased to 8.2% in the first quarter of 2024. According to the health policy organization KFF, the number of nonelderly uninsured individuals (25.6 million) and their uninsured rate (9.6%) reached record lows in 2022.

No, Trump is not “threatening to slash Medicare”

Trump has repeatedly said during his 2024 presidential campaign that he would not cut Medicare, the health insurance program mainly for people age 65 and over, despite a claim by Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez.

As president, Trump made proposals to reduce Medicare spending.

Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters for original stories and our Friday news roundup.

We checked six claims made during the DNC. Here’s what we found. is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

As the Democratic National Convention kicks off in Chicago this week, Wisconsin Watch will be on the lookout for surprising and dubious claims to check, just like we did for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month.

Dozens of prime time speeches by top Democratic Party officials will lead up to the nomination acceptance speech by Vice President Kamala Harris. The DNC hadn’t announced a full list as of Monday morning, but Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson has hinted that he might get a speaking slot. U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin spoke at the 2020 convention when it was held in a limited capacity in Milwaukee due to COVID and is now running for re-election, so we’ll be watching to see if she has a prime time speaking slot.

From claims about former President Donald Trump and Baldwin’s challenger, U.S. Senate Republican nominee Eric Hovde, to a variety of issues, our fact briefs have already debunked some of the claims you might hear repeated during the DNC, and affirmed others.

On Donald Trump

Many claims made at the DNC are likely to be attacks on Trump, including some we’ve fact-checked.

No, Trump did not lower taxes on billionaires and raise them on everyone else.

That claim was made by Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler.

The 2017 tax cut law signed by Trump cut income tax rates essentially across the board. For example, from 2017 to 2018, the average rate dropped from 4% to 3.4% for the bottom half of income earners and from 26.8% to 25.4% for the top 1%, according to the Tax Foundation.

No, Trump does not want to criminalize women who get an abortion.

Trump has said in the current campaign that states should decide whether, in certain instances, to prosecute women who get an abortion.

The criminalization claim was made in a TV ad featuring a Wisconsin woman by American Bridge 21st Century, a Democratic super PAC, and alluded to a comment Trump made in 2016.

Yes, Trump vowed to remove peaceful protesters from the U.S.

Vice President Kamala Harris made that claim while campaigning in Eau Claire.

One of Trump’s statements, in May: “One thing I do is, any student that protests, I throw them out of the country.”

Yes, Trump paid millions of dollars to settle fraud lawsuits against his for-profit college.

Trump agreed after his 2016 election to pay $25 million to settle three lawsuits alleging fraud by his for-profit Trump University. He did not admit to wrongdoing.

Harris alluded to the settlement while campaigning in West Allis.

On Eric Hovde

Hovde, who ran for the U.S. Senate in 2012 and is challenging U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., in November, has been attacked by Baldwin and her allies for things he has said. But in some cases the claims took what he said out of context.

No, Hovde did not say that farmers don’t work hard.

A Baldwin TV ad made that attack on Hovde, mischaracterizing what Hovde said in a 2012 interview when he described historical changes in U.S. occupations.

“We don’t engage in hard labor like we did, we don’t have as many accidents on the job, most of us now are involved in some type of white-collar profession, or even professions that are involved with manual labor,” Hovde said. “It’s much safer, much more protective. Think of farming. Look at the old physical toil that it would take on your body, now you’re largely driving around on a tractor.”

No, Hovde did not say most senior citizens shouldn’t vote.

The claim against Hovde was made in a TV ad by WinSenate, a liberal super PAC.

Hovde described in an interview what he claimed were voting irregularities involving Wisconsin nursing home residents in the 2020 presidential election. A partisan investigation found no evidence of malicious intent behind a few cases of mentally incompetent people voting. 

Hovde said: “If you’re in a nursing home, you only have five, six months’ life expectancy. Almost nobody in a nursing home is in a point to vote.” 

Yes, Hovde said that single parenthood leads to poverty and drug abuse, as Baldwin charged in a TV ad.

During his 2012 run, Hovde lamented the number of children “born out of wedlock,” saying it is “a direct path to a life of poverty. There’s been numerous studies that show that it leads to higher drug rates.”

No, Hovde is not “100% anti-choice” on abortion.

Hovde said in 2012 he was totally opposed to abortion rights, but has changed his position, contradicting a claim that Baldwin made in an interview.

Hovde said in February he supports exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. In April, he said that “women, early on in a pregnancy, should have a right to make a choice.” And he said that Wisconsin voters should decide when in a pregnancy abortion should be illegal.

Other issues

Yes, about 90% of Americans support access to contraception.

As Baldwin claimed, some 91% of registered voters said in a national poll released in June that birth control should be legal (73% said they feel strongly, 18% said somewhat strongly).

Democrats in June advanced a bill to safeguard access to contraceptives, but it fell short in the Senate.

Yes, Joe Biden appointed more Black women as federal appeals court judges than all previous presidents combined.

Thirteen of the 21 African American women who have served on the U.S. Courts of Appeals were nominated by Biden. He also nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve as the first Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Yes, Medicaid expansion in states improved health outcomes.

Studies have shown that Medicaid expansion, funded and made optional to states through the Affordable Care Act, leads to improved health outcomes. For example, one study found a significant reduction in mortality in states that expanded Medicaid eligibility.

Here are some of the claims you might hear at the DNC this week — and the facts is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.