MADISON, Wisconsin (AP) — Wisconsin Republican Eric Hovde admitted Tuesday that he lost the election US Senate race He made the offer to Democratic incumbent Tammy Baldwin, but she refused to accept and instead repeated misleading claims about the election while considering a recount.

Hovde released a video saying he wanted to gather more information and evaluate whether to seek a recount. But later in an interview on 1130-AM radio, Hovde admitted that he still lost, refusing to make concessions.

Mike Roemer/AP

“I’m definitely going to pick myself up and move on and fight for our great country and state, that’s why I got into this,” Hovde said. “This is the most painful loss I have ever experienced.”

Hovde could request a recount because his margin of defeat at nearly 29,000 votes is less than 1 percent. But he has not yet said whether he will make the request, explaining in a video to supporters that he wants to review all available information and options.

“This is a difficult decision because I want to honor your support and at the same time close these elections for our state,” Hovde said in the video posted on social media platform X. he said.

Watch: Eric Hovde admits he lost US Senate race, still weighing recount

Wisconsin Republican Hovde admits he lost U.S. Senate race and still weighs recount

Hovde pointed out what he claimed were irregularities in the voting results. There is no evidence of any wrongdoing in the election. Election results are reviewed by counties before being submitted to the state by Nov. 19 for certification on Dec. 1.

Democrats and even some Republicans immediately called out Hovde for what they said was perpetuating lies about the integrity of the election.

“Stop trying to undermine confidence in our elections (and I say this as someone who supports Hovde),” said Jim Villa, a longtime Republican who worked in the Legislature and the Milwaukee county executive office under Scott Walker before Walker became governor.

“This fraud needs to stop!” Published on Villa X

Baldwin campaign spokesman Andrew Mamo accused Hovde of “casting doubt on our democracy.”

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

“Leaders on both sides of the aisle must condemn the lies he has spread and the deplorable campaign he continues to wage,” Mamo said. “Tammy Baldwin won this race and there’s only one thing Eric Hovde has to do: surrender.”

Marquette University researcher and data scientist John D. Johnson reacted to Hovde’s video about X with the following words: “The real facts here are being blatantly ignored.”

Hovde also expressed concern about precincts in Milwaukee where turnout was higher than the number of registered voters posted on the county’s website. This was because the original number released did not take into account people who registered to vote on Election Day; This happened in both the Republican and Democratic parts of the state in the election.

The bipartisan Milwaukee Election Commission issued a statement refuting Hovde’s “baseless allegations.” The commission said it was “fully confident that Mr. Hovde’s accusations have no basis.”

“Hovde has the right to request a recount and take legal action to address his election concerns,” said Andrew Iverson, executive director of the Wisconsin Republican Party.

Associated Press it’s called racing for Baldwin on November 6 and declared victory on Thursday.

Although there was no evidence of any wrongdoing in the election, many Hovde supporters questioned the increase in votes for Baldwin reported by Milwaukee around 4:30 the morning after the election. These votes took Baldwin to the top.

The votes were a tabulation of ballots from Milwaukee. These ballots are counted at a central location and reported all at once, often long after midnight on Election Day. Election officials have made clear for years that these ballots were reported later than usual because so many numbers needed to be counted and state law did not allow ballots to be processed before the polls opened.

Republicans and Democrats, along with state and Milwaukee election leaders, warned in the days and weeks leading up to the election that absentee ballots would be reported late in Milwaukee, causing a large influx of Democratic votes.

The reporting of absentee ballots flipped the 2020 presidential election to President Joe Biden and fueled baseless conspiracy theories that the election was stolen from Donald Trump.

The number of Democratic votes in Milwaukee this year wasn’t enough to sway Vice President Kamala Harris’ race, but it did put Baldwin over the top.

Hovde said it “appeared” he had won before the ballots came in and that “numerous parties” had reached out to him about allegations of discrepancies since last Wednesday.

But on election night, Republican strategists broadcast that Hovde would trail Baldwin when absentee votes from Milwaukee and other Democratic-dominated cities were released in the X. That’s what happened.

In order for Hovde to request a recount, he will need to request one within three days of the last county completing its ballot. These must be completed by November 19, but districts can complete this task earlier.

Hovde, a multimillionaire bank owner and real estate developer, first ran for Senate in 2012 but lost in the Republican primary. He was endorsed by Trump this year and has poured millions of dollars of his own money into his campaign.

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