Wisconsin’s critical Senate race devolves into bitter feud as GOP targets partner of gay senator

Sen. Tammy Baldwin seemed to be in a comfortable spot in August.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin seemed to be in a comfortable spot in August. The Democratic incumbent was leading in the polls and favored to hang onto her seat. Her GOP opponent, Eric Hovde, CEO of a $3 billion bank, was on the defensive after tens of millions in Democratic attacks over his vast wealth and past comments. And she had a new nominee atop the Democratic ticket, with Kamala Harris injecting fresh energy into one of the nation’s most evenly divided battlegrounds. But then the GOP zeroed in on a new line of attack. In the run-up to Election Day, Republicans have put a spotlight on Baldwin’s same-sex relationship and the career of her partner. And Baldwin, who became the first out gay senator when elected in 2012, has been on the defensive. Since August, Hovde and GOP groups – including a super PAC linked to his brother – have cut no fewer than eight ads in a multimillion dollar campaign accusing Baldwin of a conflict of interest because her partner of six years, Maria Brisbane, is a financial adviser for high-end clients, a charge lacking proof and one Baldwin strongly denies. As Republicans say the attack is fair game, Democrats see a dog whistle, noting that questions are rarely raised about girlfriends of male senators. “I think he is,” Baldwin told CNN when asked whether she believed Hovde is trying to remind voters that she’s gay.