Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.
No.
An ad by the liberal super PAC WinSenate mischaracterizes what Republican Eric Hovde said about beer sales.
Hovde is running Nov. 5, 2024, against U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.
The ad says: “How do you know a politician’s not from around here? How about calling for a ban on beer sales? … And he actually said that.”
The ad alludes to a March Rolling Stone article. It reported Hovde in 2017 responded to a question about legalizing marijuana by saying:
“So, if we just decriminalize (marijuana)? Fine. … Frankly, it should have happened with alcohol. … Alcohol has a lot of negative byproducts. If somebody wanted to distill it, drink it. Fine, go ahead. But, sadly, as we know, it’s produced a lot of negative byproducts. … And saying that, I think the cat’s out of the — or, the horse is out of the barn, and it’s going to be hard to put back.”
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
AdImpact: Beer 30s
WisPolitics: WinSenate ad knocks Hovde’s criticism of alcohol sales – WisPolitics
OpenSecrets: WinSenate PAC Outside Spending • OpenSecrets
Washington Examiner: Wisconsin GOP Senate candidate suggested banning alcohol sales in state known for its booze: Report – Washington Examiner
Rolling Stone: GOP Senate Candidate Took Bold Stance Against the Sale of Alcohol … in Wisconsin
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
