A pair of new campaign ads accuse Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin (D) of being “in bed with Wall Street” as she faces conflict of interest allegations over her relationship with New York wealth management advisor Maria Brisbane.
The ads from Republican Senate hopeful Eric Hovde feature several voters accusing Baldwin and Brisbane of living extravagantly while people in Wisconsin suffer from high inflation and illegal immigration. Brisbane, a private wealth advisor for the Brisbane Group, works with “Ultra High Net Worth” clients worth at least $20 million and has dated Baldwin since 2018.
While Baldwin and Brisbane own a $1.3 million Washington, D.C., penthouse condo, the two-term senator has never disclosed Brisbane’s assets in her financial disclosures because the two are not married. This was a departure from her previous practice where she had disclosed the assets of her romantic partner while in office.
“I’m sick and tired of getting ripped off by career politicians. And Tammy Baldwin: she’s one of the worst. Baldwin’s in bed with Wall Street,” Amy, from Hartland, says in the new ad. “While she sleeps in her girlfriend’s million dollar condo in New York City, Wisconsin families are getting hammered by high inflation and handouts for illegal immigrants. Tammy and her girlfriend are living large while Wisconsin families foot the bill.”
GOP ads running in Wisconsin say longtime Dem Senator is literally “in bed with Wall Street”
“While she sleeps in her girlfriend’s million dollar condo in New York City, Wisconsin families are getting hammered by high inflation” pic.twitter.com/Ypz7uwmJ3Q
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) October 11, 2024
In a second ad, Mark of Waukesha calls Baldwin “a fraud.”
“I work hard and do things the right way. Tammy Baldwin doesn’t. She pretends she’s standing up for the working people, but the truth is she’s cozying up to Wall Street,” he says. “Baldwin’s girlfriend is a Wall Street executive who helps the rich avoid paying taxes and benefited from the massive bailouts Tammy voted for. Tammy and her girlfriend get richer while we struggle.”
The ads come as Hovde and watchdog groups have raised concerns about the pair’s ties to the biotechnology industry.
As the New York Post previously reported, Baldwin has actively pushed for tens of millions of dollars in funding for the “biohealth economy.” During her time in the Senate, Baldwin also has overseen NIH funding from the Senate, which distributes millions in funding to biotech companies.
Critics say this sets up potential conflicts of interest because Brisbane’s professional work has included managing a biotechnology mutual fund and pushing for investments in small biotech companies in her role as a wealth management advisor.
In a second ad currently on the airwaves, a voter complains: “Tammy and her girlfriend get richer while we struggle” pic.twitter.com/pTHFLkXCJy
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) October 11, 2024
Baldwin, who has frequently attacked Hovde over his wealth, previously introduced a measure in 2015 intended to close the “revolving door” between Washington, D.C., and Wall Street. The Wisconsin Democrat, who has denied all allegations of conflicts of interest, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Daily Wire.
The race between Baldwin and Hovde has narrowed in recent weeks, with the race being shifted to a “toss up” by the Cook Political Report with internal Democratic polling showing Baldwin with just a 49%-47% lead.
