By james art 
WASHINGTON — Republican Eric Hovde and Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin expressed optimism Monday, just hours before Election Day.
“Momentum is clearly on our side,” Hovde said during his campaign in Appleton.
“I feel a lot of momentum,” Baldwin said at his own event in Oshkosh.
Baldwin and Hovde criss-crossed the state Monday, with Baldwin participating in four events and her Republican challenger planning six appearances.
Hovde visited BenShot, a glass company, with Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson and Rep. Brian Steil, R-Janesville. Hovde, who is backed by GOP presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, has centered his campaign around the idea that it’s time for change. He said his business background would make him an effective legislator.
Ever the decided outsider, he trailed Baldwin by just two points among likely voters in the latest Marquette Law School poll, which is within the margin of error. It largely focuses on kitchen table issues like the economy and inflation.
“I think everybody recognizes that our country has gone in a bad direction in the last four years: what happened to inflation, the prices of basically everything — groceries — everything you buy. Our open border has so many devastating consequences,” he told reporters on Monday.
Baldwin, who joined Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, was joined on the day by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
Baldwin, who has never lost an election, has touted her work on Capitol Hill, including her sponsorship of an amendment to the Affordable Care Act that would allow young people to remain on their parents’ health insurance until they turn 26. In a third term, she said she would like to restore a nationwide right to abortion with federal legislation.
“I’m leading an effort in the United States Senate called the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would Roe v. Wade the law of the land,” Baldwin said. “And so people who care about their health, people who care about their rights and freedoms, people who care about their democracy, should get out and vote.”
This competition has national implications. A Baldwin defeat would almost certainly doom the Democrats’ chances of remaining the majority party in the Senate.
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