Wisconsin Senate Race: Baldwin, Vukmir Trade Barbs To The End

WISCONSIN -- Although Democratic U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin enjoys a double-digit lead in the latest polls, Republican challenger Leah Vukmir says it's what happens on election day that really matters.

The latest Marquette University Law School Poll has the Republican State Representative from Brookfield trailing Baldwin by 11 percentage points going into Tuesday's election.

"I am not daunted by the polls," Vukmir said in a Journal Sentinel report Monday. "We don't believe them because we know the momentum on the ground."

Vukmir cited the 2016 polling numbers, which suggested that both U.S. Senate candidate Ron Johnson and Presidential candidate Donald Trump trailed in the polls. They both wound up winning their respective elections.

According to the Washington Post, Baldwin faces a formidable foe in her home state. The Post says that although Baldwin is able to speak to Republican-leaning voters, she is also running against one of the best-mobilized state parties in all of politics, which will be trying to get Gov. Scott Walker (R) reelected to a third term.

"I became the top target of special interests, super PACs in the U.S. I decided to wear this like a badge of courage," Baldwin said in a campaign event held in Milwaukee with former President Barack Obama.

"Voters will have a choice in November between a Republican candidate who is committed to bold reforms for Wisconsinites, or Senator Tammy Baldwin who has built her career picking Washington over Wisconsin. From her cover up at that Tomah VA to her more than 400 votes in favor of higher taxes and fees, Baldwin has shown she'll put far-left ideas ahead of Wisconsin's hard-working families time and again." said Alec Zimmerman, spokesman for the Republican Party of Wisconsin told Patch.com

According to CNN Politics, Wisconsin is one of the Senate races to watch, and is named among the several Senate seats to switch parties in Fall of 2018.

At an eleventh-hour campaign visit in Waukesha earlier last week, Vukmir hit her opponent hard wen it came to healthcare.

"On health care reform, you've gotta believe as a nurse I have strong feelings about it," she said. "Who do you want to solve your healthcare problems, Tammy Baldwin, the career politician who's worked in the halls of government for 32 years, or the career nurse, who's worked in the halls of some of our greatest hospitals in Wisconsin."

In the end, Vukmir hopes Wisconsin voters will send her to the U.S. Senate to break a partisan tie. "I can go on and on about the differences. I am asking you to send someone who will not cancel out Senator Johnson's vote," she said.

In a recent debate, Baldwin hit Vukmir on the issue of health care, saying that her opponent sides more with insurance providers than with patients.

"No wonder she's worried about private insurance, at every vote on health issues, she's seem to have sided more with private insurers than she has with patients," Baldwin said. "Whether that's her vote to deny patients oral chemo or her vote to deny deaf children cochlear implants, or hearing aids or her vote to prevent insurance companies from expanding mental health coverage, on and on, she cares more about making sure that costs are low for insurance companies than for Wisconsin patients," she said of the 16-year politician.

The Money Race

Regardless of who wins Tuesday's election, Baldwin has won the money race by a more than comfortable margin.

According to Opensecrets.org, Baldwin raised just over $29 million during the 2013-2018 election cycle. She is recorded as having about $2.4 million cash on hand, after spending about $26.7 million.

In contrast, Opensecrets says that Vukmir's campaign raised a total of $5.2 million, and has spent $4.1 million over that time. Her campaign has about $1.1 million on-hand as of Monday.

Baldwin's top five donors are as follows:

1. University of Wisconsin $369,862
2. J Street $188,788
3. Democracy Engine $122,102
4. League of Conservation Voters $89,835
5. Womencount PAC $89,659

Vukmir's top five donors are as follows:

1. Hendricks Holding Co $23,450
2. Abc Supply $20,450
3. Michael, Best & Friedrich $13,550
4. Klondike Cheese Co $13,100
5. Hartung Brothers Inc $11,800

Patch File Photos, Campaign Handout Photos