A 72-year-old Wisconsin man, Joseph Quade, has been charged with making terrorist threats against the campaign office of Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde. Quade sent an email on April 4 to the Wisconsin campaign office of Hovde, warning of a potential explosion, stating, 'Hey (EH), you think your building might blow up tomorrow? I don’t think you should have any of your people come to work.' The message was sent as a voice memo attached to the email.
Quade later told police that he did not recall sending the threatening message but admitted that he can become 'a little political' when he drinks and acknowledged the possibility of being responsible for the threat.
It was revealed that Quade had made financial contributions to the campaign of Hovde's Democratic opponent, incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin. Federal Elections Commission data showed that Quade had donated $25 twice and $50 once to support Baldwin's re-election bid, with his most recent donation of $25 made on Dec. 29.
In response to the incident, a spokesperson for the Baldwin campaign emphasized that violence has no place in politics and stated that they would be donating Quade's contributions to charity.
Wisconsin is expected to be a crucial battleground in the upcoming 2024 elections, with the race between Baldwin and Hovde playing a significant role in determining the balance of power in Washington. Recent polling data indicates that Baldwin holds a lead over Hovde, similar to her margin of victory in the 2018 re-election bid.
