Wealthy businessman Scott Mayer tells the National Journal's Sydney Kashiwagi that he's still interested in challenging Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin—and that he's willing to run against the National Republican Senatorial Committee's top recruit if it comes down to it.

D.C. Republicans have been wooing another rich businessman, Eric Hovde, but he has yet to make up his mind and face a contested primary if he decides to run after all. "Eric's a good guy, I like him, I don't have anything against him," Mayer told Kashiwagi. But when asked if he'd defer to Hovde, he responded, "I can't commit to that at this point."

Mayer, who is the father of NASCAR driver Sam Mayer, went on, "It's not as simple as if he runs, I won't, or if I won't run, he won't. It's probably a little bit more significant and deeper than that, but we don't want a bloody primary." Mayer says he'll decide in the first quarter of next year; the primary is set for Aug. 13.

Hovde will have to settle on his plans soon, too, though new reports indicate he's likely to join the race. David Sivak of the conservative Washington Examiner writes that an unnamed GOP operative put the odds of a Hovde candidacy at 95%; another was even more certain, telling Sivak, "I don't think there's any doubt."

But even if he does get in, his delay has left Republicans without a single viable candidate in this perennial swing state. And Hovde's previous Senate bid didn't work out well: He spent nearly $6 million of his own money while narrowly losing the 2012 primary for this same seat to former Gov. Tommy Thompson, who in turn lost to Baldwin in the general election.

Nonetheless, the man tasked with winning back the Senate for Republicans is cheering him on. "If Eric gets in the race, we'd be behind Eric Hovde," NRSC Chair Steve Daines told Sivak. Mayer responded by texting Sivak a shrug emoji and writing, "As a side note, the NRSC does not elect you. People in Wisconsin elect you."

Badger State Democrats may use that line, too, since they've already worked to depict Hovde as an interloper. The Journal Sentinel reported in May that he paid close to $7 million in 2018 for a "luxurious hillside estate" in Orange County, California; starred in an ad for his bank that was filmed in California and even featured the would-be candidate dressed in Old West garb; and had the honor of being designated by the Orange County Business Journal as one of the 500 most influential people in the county in 2020.

When the paper asked him in which state he spent most of his time, Hovde avoided giving a direct answer. "OK, I'm born in Wisconsin, raised in Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin," he said. "My home is Wisconsin. I have a business in Wisconsin. So that's my response." Hovde added, "I'm sitting in my office in Wisconsin right now … I'm getting ready to walk down to my favorite restaurant, called RED." That answer did not appease the state Democratic Party, which declared in September, "We will remind voters every day that California Hovde is an out-of-state, out-of-touch multimillionaire who doesn’t share our Wisconsin values."

Both parties are also watching to see if former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, who is a favorite of far-right groups, gets in. However, Clarke doesn't appear to have taken any steps toward a statewide bid, and national Republicans have spent months insisting that he's not actually serious. The state's filing deadline isn't until June 3, though, so Clarke still has many more months to keep his name in circulation.

Published with permission of Daily Kos