Wisconsin GOP Senate Candidate Challenges Arianna Huffington To A Debate

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jun 25, 2012 4:50PM

Republican Wisconsin U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde is fighting back against what he says is a "misinterpretation" of his words at a recent stop. Hovde, a hedge fund manager in his first political campaign, told the Brookfield, Wisc. Chamber of Commerce toward the end of his presentation he was tired of reading stories about people struggling through the Great Recession. Hovde said that all-encompassing bogeyman the "elite liberal media" took a few seconds of his speech out of context to label him as unsympathetic to the poor. (The video with the comments in question is below.)

Hovde also went ahead and challenged Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington to a debate "any time and any place."

"I find it shameful that Arianna Huffington who, through her heritage, is well-versed on the devastating effect the debt crisis has had on Greek society, entitlements and their lower and middle classes would use my comments out of context to attack me,” said Hovde. "I will gladly debate Ms. Huffington any time and any place in front of a room full of journalists on what she has done for the less fortunate versus what I have done.”

Hovde found HuffPo's attempt to turn it into a story so shameful his campaign sent out a fundraising solicitation to supporters, which he said generated a "great response." On his campaign website, Hovde cites his efforts through his eponymously named foundation.

In partnership with World Vision, the Hovde Foundation built its first ‘Hovde House’, or Casa Hovde, in Mexico City in 2005. Today, there are Hovde Houses in Latin America, the U.S., and Africa.

...

In his hometown of Madison, a partnership with The Road Home’s Housing & Hope Apartments provides housing and supportive services to homeless families.
The Hovde Foundation’s goal is for the homes to become increasingly self-sustaining through in-country charitable support, business enterprises, and global partnerships.

Hovde is right to use the publicity from this to bolster his campaign. He's in a four-way race for the right to face Rep. Tammy Baldwin for the Senate seat in November, and a recent Rasmussen poll shows former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson holding a slight edge over Duncan, with Hovde the odd man out. Maybe this is the best opportunity for Hovde to work on his debate skills.