The Sconi

Wisconsin Senate candidate Eric Hovde stated that open border policies supported by the current administration and his opposing candidate have led to fentanyl becoming the number one cause of death for young people in the state. The Hovde campaign made the statement to The Sconi on August 6.

"Sen. Baldwin and VP Harris' radical open-border policies have only incentivized mass illegal immigration and emboldened drug cartels to flood our streets with fentanyl," said Hovde, U.S. Senate Candidate in Wisconsin. "Because 38-year career politician Sen. Baldwin has done nothing in Washington, fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for young people in Wisconsin and is killing over 100,000 Americans every year -- no election year memo can change those facts."

The 2024 Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) National Drug Threat Assessment names fentanyl the deadliest drug in American history, taking the lives of 38,000 Americans in the first six months of 2023. The Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels have enabled the presence of fentanyl in all 50 U.S. states, producing the drug in Mexico and smuggling it into the United States for profit.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, the number of deaths by fentanyl overdose in Wisconsin grew 97% between 2019 and 2021. An estimated 40% of fake pills circulated in the state contain a fatal dose of fentanyl.

According to the New York Post, current U.S. Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin, Hovde's opposing candidate, has voted in favor of immigration policies like instituting sanctuary cities in the past. Though she also formerly opposed legislation for the detention of convicted illegal migrants, she recently voiced favor for deportation of criminals.

Hovde is an entrepreneur and a candidate for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin, according to his website.